Bounty Hunter
by RenegadeAngel547
Summary: After the Guild Wars destroyed most of Earthland, an Anti-Magic Council was created to erase all magic and mages from Fiore! Lucy is a bounty hunter searching for the infamous Salamander of Fairy Tail. However, nothing is what it seems, and this pink haired freak may be more than she bargained for! Will she survive him or be burned? Hot lemons, swearing, and violence! NaLu
1. The Beginning

**Hey! This is my second fan fiction, and I've been playing with this idea for a while. Characters are OOC, and the story focuses on Lucy!**

**This story is mostly Nalu, with hints of Gale, Gruvia, and maybe some others. I really suck at summaries, and this first chapter is just an introduction to the new world that I'm creating. **

**Review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. It is Hiro Mashima's.**

* * *

"Ice Tiger!"

Are you serious? Is that a literal fucking ice tiger? Damn these mages were getting crafty…

The beast roared and charged forward, his cold eyes narrowing on me. His mighty paws pounded hard against the rock, gaining speed with each step. Anyone else would probably have pissed themselves in fear by now. In fact, everyone that had ever attempted to capture _the _Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale had completely failed, and returned to headquarters with humiliation and shame written all over their pathetic faces. But I wasn't them. I was Lucy Heartifilia, and I never failed.

I cracked the whip in my hands against the ground and readied myself into a low crouch, a confident smirk playing on my lips. The tiger roared and stretched open his giant jaw, teeth threatening to shred me to pieces. He pounced over my head and landed where I had been a second before. He crashed into the rock beneath him, and growled angrily that he had not obtained his prey.

"Hey, pussy cat," I called, waving from behind him. He snarled and spun around to try and capture me again, but I didn't hesitate this time to return him to an inanimate hunk of ice. My whip crackled with an electric charge, and it snapped hard against his back. The tiger gave one last roar before he exploded. Laughing victoriously, I spun to meet the owner of this pathetic beast.

His cold eyes glowered threateningly, and he raised his hands to cast another spell. I don't think so ice freak. I raced towards him, lashing my whip at the ground around him to distract him. He jumped back in alarm and tried to open his mouth to shout something, but I learned that if you gave a mage a chance to talk, it would only mean your ass would be hurting later that night. From my pockets, I produced a black glob that worked as an anti-magic sticky thing… Okay so I forgot the name, and frankly, I didn't care. It worked, so who the hell cares? For now, I'll just call it Black Funk. I hurled it at his face, and it landed with a solid _thud _against his mouth. He screeched a muffled line of curses and worked to try to remove it, but it wouldn't come off until I pulled it off him.

"You're mine now, Lyon!" I exclaimed and aimed my whip at his side. He noticed it at the last second and was able to dodge it. My proximity with him narrowed, and I dropped the whip because it was useless in such a short range. Lyon flipped back, trying to stay out of my reach, but all those hours in the gym had finally paid off, and I caught up to him. My leg kicked high, but he swiped his forearm across his body, using it to block. He responded with a left hook, and I dropped to the ground and aimed a swift and powerful punch to his lower abdomen. He grunted, and flinched back, holding onto his aching stomach. I leaped up and used my most favorite move. "Lucy kick!"

Lyon's eyes widened in shock just before my foot connected with his chest, and he was hurled back into the mountainside and slammed against the rocks. His body lied sprawled against the ground, completely unconscious. Laughter bubbled up in my chest, and I quickly locked his hands behind his back using a special pair of handcuffs. They were designed by a great friend of mine, and whenever the one captured in their lock fought against the cuffs, they would shrink, and pull harder against their wrists. If the captive wasn't careful, his hands could actually be chopped off. I had it happen once. Nasty as hell, and I wasn't about to have that happen again.

I grabbed Lyon by his scruff and slammed him hard into the rocky wall behind him. The sudden traumatic blow shocked him awake, and his eyes opened slowly to meet my gaze. I smirked and held up the key to the cuffs. His attention honed in on the silver key swinging from my finger before they snapped back to mine and narrowed in anger. He didn't trust me, and I honestly could give a fuck.

"I have a proposition for you…" I lured and gave him a tempting wink.

Hours later, we were slamming through the doors of the police station and met with cheers of congratulations for my big haul. Lyon grumbled incoherently behind the Black Funk, and I kicked his ass to remind him who was in charge. Officers jested about how the wish a hot blonde would man-handle them like that, and I rolled my eyes. Men were such pigs. Others exchanged a few bills and coins reluctantly to others, and I snorted, having no pity for the losers. They should have known that I would be able to handle a simple ice mage.

A blue haired officer jumped off a nearby desk, and greeted me, "Great job, Lu-chan!"

"Levy-chan?" I gaped. Jet and Droy stood beside her, and I should have realized they wouldn't be too far away. They completely idolized her. "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, and gestured towards the door at the back of the room that led to the prison cells. "Just brought in Sherry from Lamia Scale." Lyon tensed in front of me, and he whipped around to confront Levy. Bad mistake. Though she was a tiny little girl, she packed a big punch. Levy sidestepped Lyon's attack, and grabbing his white hair, slammed his head hard against Droy's desk. The mage slumped to the ground, and I dropped his chains now that there was no reason to hold the brute. I exchanged a high five with Levy. She stuck her tongue out at Lyon, and I laughed at her childish antics. But, my joy was short lived. As always.

"LUCY!" a growling voice groveled grumpily behind me. The entire office fell deathly silent, and their stares all focused on the floor in a quiet tension. Even Levy looked away from me.

"Shit…" I murmured and exhaled heavily. Slowly, I turned around to face the sheriff of Hargeon. His face was hard and aged from all the hard years served on the police force. Brown eyes gazed angrily on me, and his graying hair had long relocated from the top of his head to the sides of his head and around his jaw. He crossed his arms, and I scratched the back of my head and forced a light laugh. "Hey Dad."

The sheriff also happened to be my father, Jude Heartfilia. He ignored my greeting, and his eyes flickered from the unconscious ice mage on the floor and then back to me. He sighed heavily, and commanded, "Take the mage to the prison cell with the other fugitive. I'll call AMC to pick them up." A few officers scurried off to execute his demands, and his attention snapped back to me. He lifted a large finger at me and yelled, "Your ass in my office now!"

"Technically, since I'm a Hunter I don't—"

"NOW!" he shouted, and turned sharply on his heel and stormed into his office without a reply.

I grumbled a complaint and started after him. Levy caught my hand, and whispered, "Drinks at the Iron Dragon tonight on me!" I shot her a smile and nodded. She squealed and hurried out the station.

I sighed and strolled into Jude's office. It was fairly small for what he was used to, but I can tell by the worn leather chair he sat in that he had grown accustomed to this kind of living. Of course, life hadn't always been this way for us. I sat down in the hard wooden chair in front of his large mahogany desk. Stacks of papers and files littered the surface, but he briskly brushed them aside.

He started on his usual tirade about my occupation, drawing me out of my thoughts. "How many times do I have to beg you to quit this business of hunting mages?" Jude furiously ranted.

For years, ever since Mom died in the Guild Wars and I became a sworn bounty hunter to the Anit-Magic Council, or AMC, he's been trying to get me to quit and return to his side to be the "lady" he raised me to be. Once upon a time, the Heartfilia family owned the largest estate on the east side of Fiore. We were practically royalty, but after the war, we were left with nothing. Father became an officer in the police force and has struggled to make a living for himself ever since. Of course, he was pretty well off since I had abandoned him to work on my own. Now, I travelled from city to city living in hotels as I hunted down whatever mage the Council decided to assign me. I was finally free to pursue whatever I wanted in life, and Father hated every moment of it.

He slammed his fists into the table, and I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, awaiting the inevitable conclusion to these arguments. "What can I do to persuade you to quit that damned job of yours? If it's the freedom to work, I'll give you a safe desk job here in my office. You can return home, and we can be a family again." As if. "There's a rumor that the Lord of Magnolia is single and looking for a wife…"

"Ew!" I shouted, disgusted by the idea of an arranged marriage. "The only reason you want me to settle down with anyone is so that you can rise back up to high society."

"I want you to marry because I want to see my daughter happy and safe before I die!" he argued back.

I shot up out of my seat and glowered. "Why can't you be happy for me for once? I am happy, but you're too busy sitting here dreaming of having servants again that you can't see how well your own daughter is doing!"

"You were raised a high born Lady! Act like it! I will not see my daughter living in and out of hotels, and scuffling around after mages!" he roared, jumping to his feet. His face was burning red in anger.

"Well, I guess I'm not your daughter then because that's what I'm going to keep doing!" I shouted and charged out the door, slamming it hard behind me. The office stared at me, but I shot them a threatening glare and they pretended to ignore me again. "Nosey bastards…" I murmured and fumed out the police station.

* * *

"Ugh…finally some peace and quiet!" I plopped backwards onto the bed of the hotel room I recently checked into. After the argument with Jude, I was anxious to get as far away from his as possible. Of course, I couldn't get too far since I had promised Levy to meet her at the usual bar tonight. Ugh…more human interaction. Just what I wanted right now. Not.

I rolled over and reached into my purse to retrieve my cell. Three missed calls from Mira, and four new text messages from Levy. Great. Might as well get it over with then. I hit the number for Mira and sat more erect as the hologram of the AMC popped off the screen. A few rings later, and the white haired secretary was smiling back at me.

"Hey, Lucy!" Mira waved enthusiastically. Her bright demeanor was the only reason I didn't mind checking in with the Council. After every mission, Hunters were _supposed_ to send a message to the AMC alerting them to the capture of the assigned mage. Then, when the mage was safe behind bars of the nearest police station, we were _supposed _to send another message explaining the mission was complete. I had a habit of never reporting to the Council. I never liked the stuck up, pompous council members, so I was usually _forgetful_ of a few certain rules. Of course, failure to comply with the rules meant immediate termination, but luckily, I had a few angels who looked after me.

"Was it Levy, again?" I asked, scratching the back of my head.

Mira laughed. "Isn't it always? What do you want the report to say this time?"

"Hmm…" I rolled around ideas in my head. "Just say there was a complication with the objective, and it took priority over the—"

Mira's smiling face disappeared and was replaced with a scowling, older man. I shrieked from the sudden line transfer, but Councilman Harth easily ignored it. "Lucy Heartfilia, you were ordered to retrieve Lyon Vastia, and communicate straight to the AMC upon his capture. What reasons do you have for failing the _easiest _the entire mission?" I opened to reply, but he cut me off. "None! There are no excuses. This is the fifth time this month, Heartfilia—"

"Hey! I'm bringing in the hardest assignments that even your best failed to—"

"They may have failed, but at least they follow protocol," he growled. My hand clenched the bed spread beneath my fingers, and I struggled to bite my tongue. Harth stroked his long white beard, assessing me. Finally, after a long consideration, he sighed. "Because of your recent accomplishments, we are willing to overlook your actions…but you will be given only one more chance. If you overstep any rule set forth by—"

"Yeah, yeah," I complained. "Get to the point."

He narrowed his eyes, and continued. "We will not hesitate to send an extraction team after you, Heartfilia. And we will try you as a mage in court." I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off by holding his hand to silence me. "You have one more chance, or else we will punish you the same way we punish those who go against the anti-magic law."

A shiver of fear slithered down my spine, and I gulped audibly. Nodding, I answered, "I understand. I will humbly serve the Anti-Magic Council and the laws set forth by the king of Fiore to protect Earthland after the tragedy of the Guild Wars."

Harth smiled triumphantly, and I wish I could slap that look off his face. "The details of your next objective will be evaluated and sent to your Cell Comm before midnight. May you walk a path free of magic."

"May you walk a path free of magic," I repeated, and he blipped off.

Anger surged deep inside to my core, and without thinking, I chunked the cell as hard as I could at the wall. It banged hard and clattered to the floor with a heavy thud. I threw myself onto a pillow, and screamed as loud as I could into it. But, my frustration and fury could not be sated so easily. I huffed and jumped off the bed. Grabbing my suitcase, I tossed it onto the mattress and started to sift through its contents until I reached the bottom where a small brown satchel lied. Hesitantly, I lifted it and stroked the soft leather. All my anger was quickly replaced with sadness, and I kissed the top.

"I'm sorry, Mom," I whispered, and slowly placed it back into the suitcase with a sigh on my lips. The Council could threaten me all they want, and command me to follow their strict rules. They could have whatever was left of this broken girl, but they could not have this most treasured secret of mine.

Quickly, I covered it up with clothes, but a pink mini skirt screamed at me from on top of the pile. I pulled it out along with a lacy black tank top, remembering suddenly my promise to Levy. Leather pouch forgotten, the thought of being in a crowded intoxicated crowd, drowning all my worries, sounded like heaven! Free alcohol? Hell yeah; let's go party!

* * *

What I didn't know then, was that entering that bar would forever change my life…

* * *

**So, what do y'all think? :) Please leave an honest review! I'll update soon! **


	2. The Iron Dragon

**I'm going to try to update at least once per week if I can. College takes priority of course, but then comes work and fanfiction! Thanks for giving my new story a try! Now please R&R! Love y'all!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Pink, pleated mini skirt, low, black lacy tank top peeking just past the snug pink corset hugging my mid riff, and long, black, knee-high boots… you don't have to say anything. I know I looked damn hot. Tonight was my first break in about three months. After the onslaught of unrelenting hunting assignments, I earned a break, and being at the Iron Dragon couldn't get any better.

Music thrummed thickly in the air, and mixed with the boisterous screams piercing the night. Loud and obnoxious as always, it looked like a rundown shack that sat on the outskirts of town filled with nothing but vagabonds and hormone driven teenagers up to no good. Everyone here had a certain hard edge to them, and if you weren't a regular, you'd get chewed up and spit out before you had a chance to cry about your pathetic life.

It was perfect.

A group of misfits in Halloween costumes ran around outside, chasing each other around the huge bon fire out front. A girl dressed as a fairy cried suddenly as a kid about her age in a pirate outfit chased her with a stick. Frightened, she chanted a magic spell, and a harsh wind smacked into the kid and stumbled back into the fire. He yelled in pain and bent the flames around him so they wouldn't burn his skin. The fairy girl felt awful for being so reckless and apologized. Her hands shined a light blue, and the burns on the boy's arms were instantly healed.

"Thanks, Wendy," the pirate said, smiling.

The girl blushed and swiftly looked away. Her eyes landed on me, and she froze. Yeah, she knew what I was, and she knew exactly what I had just witnessed. Magic in Fiore was strictly illegal, and if anyone were to use it, they were to be arrested and sent off to the labs to be what the doctors called "neutered". It was just a humane way of expressing the permanent removal of what they loved most—their magic. Any mage that had ever went into the lab, never made it out again and be able to conjure up any power. Being a Hunter, it was literally my priority to hunt and arrest any mage I came into contact with. Any. Even children. However…there were some things only certain people knew about me…

The fairy's face brightened when she realized it was me and smiled. "Lucy!" she blubbered and sprinted towards me. Tiny arms flung around my waist, and I couldn't help but laugh. "You were gone for so long this time! I thought something might have happened."

I ruffled her navy blue hair. "Like that's likely," I teased, swatting her fairy wings out of my face. The pirate approached then, his face lit up with joy. Before I could offer a hello, he attacked me with a vicious hug, and I nearly lost my footing. "Whoa big guy!"

"We missed you!" he shouted, and Wendy nodded in agreement. What can I say? I'm a hit with the kiddies. Especially with these two—Wendy and Romeo.

"Well, I'm back now!" I assured them. "And I intend to stay as long as I can this time." Though that wasn't much of a promise since I was never sure when I would be get an assignment. Lately, the AMC has needed my particular skills more, and especially since they were looking for any reason to punish—or dare I say demote—me, I would most likely be swept up in another mission by tomorrow morning. The kids knew that though, and they didn't hold it against me. They loved me anyways, and it was probably why I told them exactly who I was. Of course, that and someone had to look after these guys since they were so adamant about flaunting their magic.

"So what's up with the costumes?" I asked, pulling on the boy's fake eye patch. The elastic band snapped back, and plunked him against his face.

Romeo howled in pain and started blabbering foul language like a real pirate. While I tried to bite back my laughter, Wendy didn't even bother hiding it. She dropped on the ground and started rolling. Sidestepping around the entire fiasco, I tried to escape before Romeo started using his fire magic to burn my sorry ass. See, my identity was a huge secret, especially since I was the sheriff's daughter. If anyone actually knew me, I'd be the biggest target at this bar. Because of that, I never brought any of my hunter gear, meaning I wouldn't be able to defend myself against Romeo. I'm terrified of that little kid! He burned me once, and that was the day I learned to never screw with a fire mage.

Wendy was still rolling on the ground when I entered the bar to search for Levy. Hopefully, they wouldn't chase me in here. Music pulsed louder as soon as the door swung open, exposing the live band jamming on the stage. A thick body of dancers snaked below him, grinding against each other as hard as they could as if they could still have sex through the clothing. Seeing some of the skimpy outfits some of the girls were wearing, it was probably possible. That's when I noticed the costumes. Everyone was dressed out extravagantly as some over cliché fantasy character or animal. Suddenly, I felt underdressed and gazed around for some possible idiot like me. Nope. I was alone. Fuck it. They can dress up as a super hero or whatever, but let's be honest. I was so awesome they should be dressing up like me.

Picking my way through the writhing mass of bodies, I slowly made my way to the back where a heavy iron door stood. Not even one stray pair of eyes paid me any attention. That meant the spell was still working. The place where I stood now was littered with crazy teenagers and creeps with a live band and a small bar glued to a side bar, no one here actual knew the real secret of the Iron Dragon. The owner of the bar had worked his ass off to create this place, and every time I came here, there was something new to admire about it. Of course, it wasn't easy for him.

His name was Gajeel Redfox, and he happened to be an iron dragon slayer. Almost a year ago though, Gajeel was captured by a pair of bounty hunters—Bisca and Alzack. He was brought into AMC, where Doctors were experimenting with a new type of neutering process. I never got the full details, but evidently, Gajeel barely managed to escape. Ever since, he has been living a low profile. Yeah. "Low profile." Apparently that meant opening the largest bar south of Magnolia that welcomed normal citizens as well as mages. Of course, the mages here had to make a vow to Gajeel to keep their powers hidden. It was the only safety measurement taken to assure the AMC didn't scout the place out. There were occasional hunters passing by, but it was nothing too serious. They never looked too hard at the place. If they did, they might have noticed the iron bars sticking out everywhere when Gajeel handmade this place. But, if you didn't see magic, that meant there wasn't any right?

That's what Gajeel thought anyways, but his logic was always a bit fucked up. I don't even know what Levy saw in the guy, but hey, as long as my best friend was happy, so was I.

Pushing hard against the iron door, it screeched loudly as it started to budge. Through the small opening, I was able to see the actual hidden bar. There were four main parts to the Iron Dragon: the face that looked like a rickety, decrepit house, the normal bar where the band played, the inside where those within Gajeel's secret circle were trusted enough to get back into, and finally, the Pit. Oooohhhh how I missed that place.

I didn't have time to reminisce however, because the door disappeared, and the sudden loss of, well, door, made me lose my balance. I screamed as I fell, but a strong, pierced arm, caught the back of my corset and held me an inch off the ground. The door reappeared behind me, and I was straightened back into a standing position.

"Smooth, bunny girl," Gajeel scoffed, crossing his pierced arms across his broad chest. "Can you be any more pathetic?"

"Can you be any more of an asshole?" I retorted. He threw his spiky black head back and laughed. This guy didn't have to wear a costume. Gajeel was a frightening creature all on his own. His body contained piercings from the bridge of his nose, to his large forearms, and honestly, I was frightened to see what was pierced underneath his black tunic and gray pants. That was one question I hadn't bothered interrogating Levy about.

"Lu-chan!" shouted said girl. She waved across the room from her stool at the bar. Gajeel made his way around the pool tables and took a seat beside her. She greeted him with a quick kiss, and I gagged as I followed. "It's about time!" Levy complained when I took up the reserved seat next to her. "I didn't think you were going to make it."

"I just like being fashionably late," I replied, lifting my hand to get the bartender's attention.

"Always being late doesn't mean it's fashionably late," a cold voice barked out further down the bar. My eyes rolled, and I steered the bar stool to face the damned prick who dared insult me. Of course, I knew his voice by heart and there was no way I could ever forget something so sexy.

Gray Fullbuster shot me a cheesy grin, and I swear I could have melted in my seat right then if it weren't for the blue girl wrapped around his arm. Juvia crooned around Gray, her chilling eyes piercing straight through my soul. At least it would have been if it weren't so comical.  
"Love rival…" she hissed at me and wrenched Gray closer to her.

"You can have the ice princess," I joked and ordered a couple shots of tequila to start off the night. Without even looking back, I yelled, "Oh, and Gray put some damn clothes on!"

"Shit!" he yelled, and I could only imagine him trying to cover his bare skin.

There was one point where I totally had the hots for the ice mage. Yes, that's right. A bounty hunter had a crush on a mage. It was pretty common actually… That blue girl swooning all over the ice mage? She was once a top AMC Bounty Hunter. About half a year ago, she was assigned to hunt down a Fairy Tail mage. Everyone knew that was a suicide mission since Fairy Tail was impossible to catch. However, Juvia was determined, and she accepted it anyways. She tracked down the mage all the way to the northern tip of Fiore. Somehow, she had managed to capture him, but she was wounded pretty badly. She might have made it back to town if it weren't for the rogue hunters.

Sometimes hunters would pop out of nowhere, working independently. It was slightly illegal, but they got away with local sheriffs paying them for their newest hauls. Most of the time, they would ambush a licensed Hunter and steal their haul just like in Juvia's case. If the mage was not captured, Juvia would have failed and been demoted. But, she didn't even have enough strength to fight the hunter. He stole her mage and ran away, leaving her to die in the snow. The mage killed the hunter though, and for some reason, went back for Juvia. He rescued her from the snow, and tended to her until she was better. She realized some time then that she fell in love with the mage, and refusing to hunt anymore, she cut out the microchip implanted in her arm that the AMC uses to track their employees. Doing this meant she had gone rogue, and the AMC sought to find her and kill her. Special Forces were sent after her, but she was never found.

If anyone knew that Levy and I were secretly friends with all these mages, we would be considered rogue and would be hunted down like wild animals. Every time we came here, we put ourselves at risk as well as our closest friends, but it was something we were all willing to risk. Being a part of Gajeel's inner circle meant keeping secrets that the rest of the world would kill to know. It also meant we could never be seen together, so a spell was cast on the place that if one of us entered the building, we would be instantly invisible to the eyes of others. Outside the bar, it had no effect however, which is why Wendy and Romeo could see me.

The white haired bartender named Lisanna greeted me with a delighted smile, snatching me from my thoughts. She lined three small shots in front of me. "Glad you're back! Things just weren't the same without you!"

A smile echoed hers on my face. "Thanks, Lisanna. It's glad to be back."

"I didn't know when those hunters were going to leave," she continued, "but they always seem to run away whenever you're here."

Though I doubted those coincidences were related since they couldn't see me in the bar, I asked, "You've been having problems with hunters?"

"Gray-sama has been keeping them away," Juvia answered, hugging Gray's arm. Seriously, she's a good friend of mine, but even I know she has boundary issues. "He's been standing in for Gajeel as the owner while you and Levy have been away, but they haven't returned in over a week."

Levy and I exchanged a long, knowing look. After a moment, she shrugged. "We can't always be here," she simply stated.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips. Rogue hunters always meant trouble. Wanting a quick distraction, I noticed a tournament scratched onto the wall behind Lisanna. I pointed at a black board behind her that held scribbled and crossed out names all down the random branches that stretched out across the back of the bar. "How's the tournament in the Pit?" I asked, my enthusiasm growing with the idea of the pit.

Gajeel barked a laugh from beside Levy. "You didn't tell her?" he asked her.

"Tell me what?" My heart suddenly clenched tightly in my chest.

Levy shot her boyfriend a sour expression before she looked to me apologetically. "Sorry, Lu-chan. I haven't seen you in a few weeks, and I forgot to mention it earlier…"

"What is it?" I was freaking out, my curiosity about to kill me.

Levy searched for the right words, and right now, I seriously wished she wasn't that type of person that tried to sugar coat everything. Sensing my rising tension, someone answered for her. "There's a new champion of the Pit," Gray blurted.

I reared back in horror. "Whhhhaaaaaatttt?" I drawled out dramatically. "Nooooooo! It can't be!" Shock was evident all over my face, and my eyes shot to Levy. "How could you keep this information from me?" I shouted, enraged, but not with her.

Shooting out my seat, I sprinted towards another set of doors that would lead me towards the Pit. "Where are you going?" Levy called after me.

"To defend my legacy!" I yelled. "I am the fucking Queen of this shit!"

As I swung through the doors, I heard Gajeel's voice rumble after me, "Dumb ass."

"You know this is strictly against all the policy rules," Gajeel complained, straightening the microphone on his shirt.

"Fuck you, I'm the queen of this shit," I shot back.

"You already said that earlier."

"Then you should know it's true."

Rolling his eyes, he stepped passed me and out onto the balcony that over looked the Pit. Upon his arrival, he was greeted with loud screams from the hundreds beneath him. He cleared his throat, and they hushed quickly. Gajeel's appearance was rare in the Pit, and it always meant a change. A big change. Meaning I had persuaded him into something completely idiotic, and he was just dumb enough to go with it.

"After months of travels, I am happy to announce the return of one of our old Champions. Lucy!" he shouted, and swept his arm back.

Smiling like a villain that just got away with her evil plan, I stepped into the light, waving at the crazy crowd below. Their cheers were thunderous and echoed far into the distance of the night. They all stood around a hole in the ground that was dug deep into the earth and every inch was covered in mud. Normally, I was opposed to getting completely dirty, but after years as a hunter, I learned to not care about the filth.

Wanting to entrance the crowd with a big opening, I sprinted past Gajeel, and climbed onto the balcony railing. Then, with one leap, I was air borne and plummeting towards the earth below. Contorting my body into different positions, I managed a few flips, before I angled myself to catch against the descending pit. Knees bent, I met the earth with more force than intended, and nearly lost my footing and face planted into the earth. However, I regained it, and continued to slide gracefully to the bottom. The crowd went crazy with my stunt.

Near Gajeel were two meters that read how much each contestant would earn from this fight. The crowd would place bets as soon as the contenders entered the Pit. As the meter rose, so did the pay off. The bigger the show was for the crowd, the more money you earned. It was a fair game if you knew how to please the people around you, and with a body like mine, it was impossible not to. Of course, the outcome of the fight also was a huge factor. In the Pit, you were pinned against someone at random. It was a nice way of putting mages against normal citizens without them knowing it. Or a Hunter like me against a mage. That was its own kind of irony. However, here, none of that society status stood. So long as you were in the pit, you were equal to your opponent.

"And the queen's next victim" –sometimes, I loved Gajeel—"Jenny!"

The cheers only escalated as another blonde leaped down from the crowd to join me in the Pit. Her bikini barely fit on her, and she slid down the side like owned this place. When she waved towards the crowd, I automatically hated her. This bitch was going down. Her meter leaped up midway, and my mouth dropped in astonishment. Seriously? They were all nuts over some bleach blonde with big boobs? Well if they wanted _that _kind of entertainment, it was on.

"Is it hot in here?" I asked Jenny, my voice echoing through the loud speakers around the crowd. My fingers, twisted around the strings of the corset, and with a tight tug, it burst open, and my cleavage became a lot more noticeable. Then, unable to "take the heat" I threw everything off. Boots, skirt, and tank top. Of course, it was all for the crowd, and I didn't care about exposing myself for some money. No one truly knew me here anyways. Standing before the crowd in nothing but a black lace bra and revealing thong, felt almost freeing. Fanning myself for dramatics, I said, "Or is it just me?"

Jenny's eyes narrowed dangerously, and I swear she hissed at me. She raised her hands up into the air like a cat about to claw me. "Allow me to get you to a hospital!"

She lunged forward, and I faked a yawn. Jenny screamed in anger, and I waited until the last second to dodge her attack. She fumbled after me but slipped and dove into the mud. The crowd laughed, and it infuriated Jenny. "You're going to pay for that!"  
She shot forward again, and at the last second, I sidestepped, and with a swift chop to the back of her neck, she was done. She collapsed again and this time had more problems getting back up. "What's wrong? I thought you were going to take me to the hospital?" I laughed.

Jenny stood up uneasily, and she roared in frustration. With one last effort, she leaped at me through the air. This time, not wanting to avoid it, I met her force head on. Her hands reached for my face, but I ducked her fingernails, and with one quick movement, my hand shot behind her back, and I ripped her bikini top straight off her pretty little body. She screamed in horror, and dropped to her knees, covering herself.

"Will you fight?" I asked her, but already knowing the answer. She glared daggers at me, but shook her head, since unlike me, she had a lot to lose when exposing herself. The bell rang, announcing me as the winner, and a trio of men in a thick black uniform slid down towards her. One wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and she thanked him as they walked her back.

Laughter bubbled freely from my lips. It was such an easy fight, that I lifted my hands into the air and called out, "Do you have no one better?"

"There's always me," a cool voice spoke softly behind me. A smile grew on my face, and I could not contain my excitement when I spun around to meet him. He stood with his hands in his black short pockets, his bare chest exposed. His white hair still spiked up at weird angles, and I almost wanted to cry from the sheer joy of seeing him.

"You did it," I whispered just loud enough he could hear.

Lyon Vastia nodded. "Yeah. Sherry says hi, by the way."

My smile became cruel. "Well, tell her I said hi when I send you back to the infirmary!"

The crowd became more ecstatic. Lyon was always one of the favorites. A woman's voice shouted out from the crowd, asking him to marry her. He rolled his eyes, accustomed to such wild requests. The women all thought he was the sexiest contender. Couldn't disagree though…

Ignoring the crowd, Lyon took up a defensive stance. "Make this a good show, Lucy, and I'll let you win," he jested.

I laughed once. "Everything is a show," I reminded him, thinking back to our fight yesterday. "I don't need anyone's help whipping your ass." I took the offensive, striking first. He blocked my first punch, and followed it with a left hook. I deflected it with my other arm, and threw an uppercut. It took him by surprise, and it connected at the base of his chin. He stumbled back and was reminded of our most recent fight. I didn't think when I offered him that deal yesterday after I captured him that he would be able to pull through so fast.

Taking advantage of my distracted thoughts, he shot forward and kicked low. Lost in the clouds, I didn't move on time and fell onto my back. The air in my lungs whooshed out, and I was left gaping like a fish out of water. Lyon snickered.

"Too easy," he remarked.

"Oh yeah?" I tried sounding confident, but the lack of air only made my voice crack.

Flipping over, I shot my leg out, catching him behind the knee. He tumbled forward, and I sprinted after my prey. He was able to catch his balance, but when he turned around to confront me I was suddenly air born screaming, "Lucy kick!"

Fear clicked on his face, and he cursed once before I completely knocked him out. Again. With the same move. Within 24 hours. Loser.

He lied sprawled in the mud, his once snowy hair now polluted with dirt and water. He moaned loudly, and the bell clanged loudly behind us. Laughing, I reached down for his hand. Lyon's eyes spun around in his head, and I'm sure he had a concussion. Obviously, he wasn't prepared for the Pit just yet. Yesterday, he had been a challenge, today…well he got lucky with that one hit, but that was it.

As I hefted him against my shoulder, I whispered in his ear, "Thank you again. I owe you, Lyon."

He smiled lazily, and the trio of men returned to grab the downed opponent. Being left alone felt a little weird, but I turned to the crowd to take a bow. The roared loudly as I shouted, "Are you not entertained?"

The crowd replied back, and I swear somewhere in the back a name whispered through someone's lips. It was quiet at first so I barely heard it, but then someone else joined them, and then another group of people. The name started to spread like wildfire amongst the crowd, and soon everyone was shouting it, begging for their new Champion, and forgetting about me all at once. Their eyes were honed in on the balcony where Gajeel stood next to a figure cladded in a scarlet robe and the mask of a demon spirit.

The figure crouched down low, and the crowd hushed just as he bounded high into the air. The robe whipped around his figure, and with one swift swipe, he discarded the garments and the mask, throwing them into the mass of people below. He landed on the slope of the Pit as lithe as a panther, and just before he reached the bottom, he jumped back into the air, flipped and then landed perfectly beside me. Everyone went nuts. Even Gajeel smirked impressively at him.

I rolled my eyes at the iron dragon slayer to assess the newest opponent. My heart jumped into my throat when I realized he was staring back at me. His onyx eyes dove right into my soul and threatened to open up every secret of my heart. Biting my lip nervously, I caught myself roaming his body with my eyes. Every inch was tanned, rippling muscle, but not in the obnoxious body builder way. He was the perfect fit between toned and ripped. He wore orange shorts with black flames etched into the side and accented with a blazing red. His chest was exposed, and I clenched my hands to fight the urge to touch him.

Then, I fought the courage to look back at his face. He was still staring, and when our eyes met, I felt the air around me thin. I was suddenly light headed and found it hard to breath. Then, he smiled, and I almost died right there. "Hi," he said deeply. Oh my gosh. He said hi! To me! My legs went weak, and I fell backwards. He shouted something at me, and his warm arms wrapped around my body as he caught me from falling. "Are you okay?" he asked concernedly, and I looked up into those beautiful, melting eyes.

_Oh my gosh. He just caught me! _I realized and I swear if he wasn't holding me, I would have lost it all over again. _Get yourself together, Lucy!_ I screamed. _He's just a really hot guy that you're about to be all over in a pit of mud._

Oh thank you Mother for this wonderful day!

"Uhhh…maybe we shouldn't fight?"

"What?" I screeched and suddenly realized how close we were together. If I wasn't such a hopeless romantic and seriously fan girling over the hot new champion of the Pit—we could totally be the King and Queen!—than this moment probably wouldn't have been as wasted as it was. Trying to push my feelings aside, I insisted, "No! C'mon! Reigning Champion and Defending Champion! It'll be awesome!"

He smiled again—Oh, please stop beating so loud heart! I was in the middle of another fan girl attack/seizure when my eyes shot up to his hair, and I froze. His spiky, locks were… "Pink?" I whispered.

He cocked his head to the side and stroked his hand through his hair. (Can I please do that?) He looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, it comes with being a drag—" He stopped and looked at me, an unreadable expression crossing his face.

Ignoring that, I finally put all the pieces together. Pink hair, "being a drag", flames on his shorts, too hot for his own good… Dammit! This guy was gay! Ugh! Why didn't I realize it before? He's a total flamer, does drag, and dyes his hair pink. Plus, the gay ones were always the hottest! CRAP!

Face palming, I slurred out a string of profanities that caught him completely off guard. He looked uncomfortable about my sudden mood swing, but I felt like an idiot for wanting to get down in this mud and get "dirty" with him. Poor guy! I just raped him with my eyes and everything…

Fuck. Whatever. "Are we going to do this or what?" I asked, backing up to distance myself from his hot body and mine.

His eyes read my stance, and recognizing a challenge, grinned. "Let's do this…uh…what's your name?"

"It's Lucy!" I shouted, and lunged forward. He started to dodge, so I skidded to a halt, dug my foot deep into the mud and slung it at his face.

"Shit!" he murmured, wiping it away. Using the distraction, I took the advantage, and started throwing jabs at him. He was barely able to dodge and counter, and when one connected with his ribs, he groaned in pain.

I didn't stop though, and continued my onslaught. My earlier frustration was now turned against him, and I refused to lose my title as Champion of the Pit. My left punch went a little wide, and he grabbed my wrist, and pulled me close until I intertwined my feet with his. We tumbled to the ground, all the while grappling for the dominant position. Because of his weight, he landed on top and tried to pin me. His legs straddled mine, and I heard people making cat calls above us. He also knew how to put on a good show, and he pulled my wrists above my head. His body stretched out over top mine until our faces were inches apart.

His breath was hot on my cheeks, and heat stirred low down in my core. Desire washed over me in waves, and erotic fantasies flitted through my mind of all the things I would do to this guy on top of me. He rolled his hips against mine, and a moan escaped with my consent. His laughter filled my head like an orchestra starting a new song-raw and pure.

"Someone needs a little attention," he growled alluringly.

My body kicked up, surprising him, and before he knew it, we had traded places. I straddled his hips, and pinned his arms to his side. The crowd went wild somewhere, but right then, it was only him and me. "Sorry, but I prefer being on top," I purred into his ear, as I rolled my body against his seductively.

He smiled, his eyes narrowing mischievously. "I always like it rough," he responded. His eyes flickered down to my lips and then back to my eyes, asking me questions that his mouth didn't even know the words to. Though my head screamed against it, I gave in to my temptation and bent closer. My eyes fluttered shut, and my heart hammered against my chest. Somehow, his hands had escaped, because I could feel his warm fingers wrapping around my waist, pleading me to melt into him.

All my life, I had never known love and I have never known fear, but in that moment, they were one in the same as I hesitantly grew closer to touching his lips with mine. It was wrong, in more ways than one, but it was if the universe had aligned the stars above, and fate had designed us together for this one moment.

My body trembled, and I could feel him tense beneath me just as our lips were only a sigh away from crashing. I bet it would be the loudest and most beautiful song that we could make together just by standing in this forever, the anticipation of a kiss so long desired for and yet freshly introduced to the world…

A scream tore through the night, and I wrenched myself away from him. The crowd at the top of the pit was scurrying in fear, screaming, pushing, clawing, and all trying to escape… but from what?

"Lucy!" Gajeel called from the balcony. He pointed out towards the entrance of the bar. "The hunters are here! They have Levy!"

* * *

**Who is this strange character that makes Lucy go weak at the knees? ;) I'm sure you already know.**

**REVIEW!**


	3. RHA

**Sorry about taking so long to post. Hopefully this should fill the void until the next chapter in the manga in updated! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. It is Hiro Mashima's.**

* * *

What? That can't be! But there's no way they would know—No, Lucy. Calm Down. You're just being paranoid. Odds are they recognized Levy from a mission or something, and she pissed someone off. There was no way they could possibly know _that._ Still though, this didn't make it any easier.

A strong hand gripped my shoulder. "Are you okay?" the guy standing behind me asked, his onyx eyes narrowing in concern.

Shrugging off his hand, I started my way up the sides of the Pit. "Yeah," I called back at him. "But I'm going to need your help."

Heat suddenly flared behind me, and my heart froze in my chest. Cautiously, I turned back around, but the guy was still standing at the bottom looking into the distance. I swear for just a second I felt magic coming from him… Focus, Lucy!

I snapped my attention back and trudged through the sludge a little faster. Grunting with frustration that my decent was too slow, I gave one last heave and jumped to the top. My breath was already ragged, and my body was coated in mud. Now, however, was not the time to worry about that though. I had to rescue my best friend.

A sharp scream to my left caught my attention, and my feet started moving before I could process what I was doing. Rogue hunters were everywhere, grabbing onto random civilians, and zapping whoever was closest with a metal prong that emitted electricity. I made a note to stay clear of them. One however, seemed determined to stand in my way.

"Where are you going pretty little la—"

I drove my palm straight into his nose and pushed upwards. He squealed and dropped his electric baton. Running past him, I grabbed it, gave him a zap for good measure, and a red scarf that had been around his neck. Swiftly, I wrapped it around my head to conceal my face. Honestly, I was always rogue hunter's biggest target, and I didn't feel like getting that kind of attention right now.

Fifty meters past the unconscious man, Juvia was fighting a couple hunters with a metal pipe she must have found. A few lied unmoving at her feet, and I felt a little bit of pride in seeing my friend had not yet lost her fighting spirit. However, the trio seemed just as unrelenting as her, and that always meant trouble.

"Now just be a good little girl, and we won't hurt you…much," growled one hunter, smiling suggestively and licking his thin lips. Juvia twitched in disgust and swung her pipe at him. He was able to dodge it, and the others honed in on her while she was distracted.

A burly man to her right grabbed shoulders and shoved her into the man that was still looking at her like she was a snack. She screamed again, and he grabbed her wrists. She dropped the pipe as he twisted her arms into awkward angels behind her back.

"You just couldn't be good could you?" he whispered. "But it's okay. I like them a little rough."

"Then you're going to love me!" I shouted, and just as he turned around, my fist met his face. I swung as hard as I could, and he collapsed to the side, releasing Juvia. The poor girl was shaken, and when she saw me, she almost had a heart attack. Ignoring her, I started for the other two around her. The burly man had a wooden bat in his hands, and he didn't hesitate to attack. With sharp precision, he nearly managed to knock my head off. I ducked his blow however, and noticed Juvia's pipe lying conveniently near my feet. The man reared back for another attack, and I rolled to dodge it.

This was giving me such a fucking wedgie, and only being clad in undergarments didn't help! Luckily, the mud concealed everything, because I wasn't about to give these guys a free show.

The bat thudded against the ground beside me, and I noticed the bat cracking a bit. An idea suddenly hit me, and I jumped to my feet. Laughing, I taunted him, "Is that seriously the best you can do? I thought a man of your proportions could surely swing harder than some little girl." He snarled and swung again, and I leaped back, just out of reach. "Seriously? If you were going into the minor leagues for little girls, they might make you their princess." The man shouted a string of curses, and started swinging at me like a mad banshee. I was trying to be careful, and read his moves to keep just out of reach of him. "Of course, if you were, you would be the fugliest princess I've ever seen." He swung one more time, and I jumped back. My back hit the metal of the bars outer wall.

The man laughed. "I guess you're out of hiding places little girl," he sneered. I gasped in horror and fear was written into every inch of my expression. The bat swung back once just as he prepared to give one last blow, and then with a howl of excitement, he hurled it forward, aiming at my head. Normally, I would have appreciated the speed and accuracy of his blow, but at the moment I was laughing too much at the idiot for falling for my trick. At the last second, I dropped to the ground, just as the bat cracked against the metal wall and splintered into pieces. The shock of the blow against shook the man, and he dropped the bat and stepped away, stunned.

Not hesitating, I gripped the pipe tighter in my hands, jumped to my feet and swung as hard as I could at his head. Of course, it made a dent in my metal pipe because the guy's skull was as dense as the rest of him. He went down and started drooling on the pavement. I tossed the pipe aside and snickered, "Fugly beast, don't mess with the princess."

Juvia suddenly screeched behind me, and I spun around to see the third guy was holding a dagger to her throat. I had completely forgotten about him. Lifting my pipe, I prepared to battle him, but he squeezed Juvia tighter, making her squeal in pain as the knife bit into her. A thin trail of blood began to slowly trickle down her pale skin. "Drop it or she dies!" he hissed.

What was with these men thinking they could just keep giving me orders? But, this wasn't the kind of situation where I wanted to toy with the hunter. I've had run-ins with hunters before. Nasty business, but sometimes it was unavoidable. Once or twice, they thought they had gotten the upper hand on me, and somehow they managed to steal my prey. Normally, I would just look for some advantage or mutual point about why he should release the hostage into my custody, and then I would just let him go about his business. Seeing him holding a blade to one of my dearest's friend's throats though? No. This bastard was going to pay.

"Don't you dare hurt her," I growled menacingly in a low voice that didn't fit my usual perky and cocky demeanor. My eyes narrowed on his puny body, assessing every possible way that I could kill this hunter before he could hurt Juvia more. Her eyes burned into me as she studied my expression because she had seen this look before, and it meant everyone should be afraid.

I would not lose someone I loved again.

The guy shot a gaze between the two of us, and he became instantly flustered. However, he didn't drop the knife. He pulled Juvia closer to him, as if to use her as a shield from me. "Stay away from me you crazy bitch! I-I'll kill her! I mean it!"

My fists shook with fury, but before I could move, a voice shook around us. "Liar, liar…you know what they say happens to those who lie right?"

"Fuck!" he screeched suddenly, dropping his blade from her throat. A scream of panic tore from deep inside him, and he released Juvia to try to extinguish the fire on his ass.

"They get burned!" The extremely sexy guy from the pit appeared, and he threw his head back as he laughed. I would have totally called him my hero and jumped into his arms so that he could carry me away into the sunset, but there were three problems. One: there wasn't a sunset. Two: he was gay. And three, and most importantly… His hands were literally on fire.

"Fire magic…" I whispered to myself, lost in the depths of the flames emitting from him. He looked at me then as if I called his name, but then he noticed what I was staring at. His gaze hardened as he looked back at the fire just before he extinguished it. The spell holding me broke, and I jumped back as I found my voice. "You're a mage!" I shouted accusingly, accidently drawing the attention of more hunters nearby. Smooth Lucy. Real smooth.

As they started towards us, the three of us decided it was about time to leave. Juvia tried wiping the blood from her throat, but it left an eerie smear and red fingertips behind. Giving up, she followed in behind me and the pink drag queen. Yeah, I said it. Drag queen. He went from being the hottest man on the planet to the most annoying kid in my life in about five seconds we had spent dodging hunters.

"Genius!" he spat out sarcastically.

"Oh yeah! Like you're so smart! Who the fuck just openly exposes magic like that?" I shot back.

"I'm tired of hiding!" he admitted. "It's time I stretched my wings a little bit to see if I can still use them!"

"Whatever you fire fuck," I seethed as we skitted around the corner of the bar and ran smack into a horde of hunters. No use trying to hide now, I held the metal pipe in front me as if it were a blade. "Now is as good a time as any to fly away little birdy."

"I'm not a damn bird!" he snarled, but the corner of his mouth twitched into a side grin as he took a defensive stance. He loved the feel of battle just as much as I did. I wanted to have his babies right then.

"Water slicer!" Juvia shouted behind us and leaped into action. "Stop flirting and help Juvia!"

"We're not flirting!" we shouted in unison, and just to prove a point, we lunged after her, attacking anything that moved. Juvia used her water magic to slice and dice through half the guys. The hunters chasing us eventually found us, and I found myself too occupied with them to figure out just how the flamer was doing. Going off the shouts of distress and the impulsive blasts of flames shot towards me, I assumed he was faring well.

What I did see of him though took my breath away. He was like a prince, dancing with the fire, and bending it any way he desired. He was agile and smooth with his fighting, as lithe as a tiger's movements and just as fierce. Simple, clean, beautiful, flawless… He was perfect in every way.

"Hey Lucy!" he cried out when he caught me staring after dodging an aluminum bat aimed for my head. Oh, how I loved the way he said my name. I was crushing so hard despite him being gay. Too bad he'd never feel the same for me, but hey, a girl could admire, right?

"What?" I shouted back. He didn't answer right away, but he started to direct his opponents toward me. I copied his movements, and we grew closer until we both dodged a devastating blow and landed with our backs pressed against each other.

Our skin connected, and I couldn't tell if it was the flames on skin or the beating of my own heart that caused me to burn with such an intense heat somewhere deep inside me. His exposed muscles were taut against my bare back, and I could feel the effort of his labored breathing. My own breath hitched as fantasies frolicked through my mind.

"I have a quick question for you," he said.

Oh please…anything. "Yes?" I asked, trying to keep control of my hormones for just one more second. The hunters narrowed in on us, and I thought for a moment that we were going to be attacked all at once. I wish that were so.

Then, shattering all illusions of his naked body and sexy ways, he asked, "Why the hell do you have such a stupid scarf on your head? You look like an idiot."

"Really? You're so much prettier with your damn mouth shut, pinky," I gaped, pulling on the ends of the scarf to secure them. "Maybe I'm just famous?" It was the truth since I was using it as a "disguise" to hide from any hunters that may know me.

"Nah, you're too much of a weirdo," he argued back just as the mass of people honed in on us. I tensed in anticipation, but he slammed his palm onto my head and pushed me under him.

Just before I could cry out in fury, I heard a familiar voice bellow, "Iron Dragon's Roar!" The hunters screamed like pansies just Gajeel's dragon breath swept them away like dandelion seeds. The fell to the ground in agony, scattered among the back of the bar. Juvia must have noticed Gajeel's presence too because she was squatted down, hiding a few feet away. I swiped at Pinky's hand still resting on my head, aggravated that he had saved me.

"Well, that was a shit show," Gajeel grumbled as he picked his way over the bodies towards us. Juvia drew closer as well, as I looked around, examining some of the bodies. As my eyes passed over them, one hunter's uniform flashed. Something bright had caught the light around us and shimmered just as my eyes passed over it. My eyes narrowed, and I started towards him. He was a simple looking guy with brown shaggy hair, and baggy clothes. However, what attracted my attention was the gold pin inside of his jacket. He groaned as I picked him up, but I ignored him and ripped the flap of his jacket open, exposing the gold crest of the infamous hunter's guild: RHA. Rogue Hunters Alliance.

They were the nastiest of all of the guilds out there because they were disgusting barbarians that had dropped out of society. See, instead of giving the captured mages a free trial, they tended to kill them. Some rumors even suggest that they eat the mage's body in hopes of obtaining their magical qualities that would be easier to track down mages. I didn't doubt the rumor for a second, so in a panicked fit of rage, I slapped the hunter across the face with a sickening _crack_ that attracted the others attention.

The guy moaned, but made no other acknowledgement. "Hey!" I shouted in his face, and slapped his head back the other way. His eyes flickered for a second, which meant he could hear me. I stood up, and grabbing a fistful of hair, I started dragging him.

Gajeel's expression was hard and unreadable, Juvia was flat out afraid and worried, and Pinky just stood there gazing like I was some sort of vengeful goddess that he couldn't quite piece together yet. I threw the body before their feet. Before anyone could ask questions, I pointed at the bar and snapped, "Since the bar is incapacitated, I want you to take him somewhere where you can interrogate him for information. Find more men and haul them towards whatever hell-hole you hide in."

"Lu—" he started, but I raised my hand to silence him.

"I would take him to my place, but I'm currently occupied in the city, and that would be too messy." I cringed from an old memory, but shook it off. "If I'm right, this place is about to be swarmed with AMC Special Ops. When that happens, I need to be as far away from here as possible. Get somewhere safe and hide there until everything blows over."

Juvia placed her hand on my shoulder. "If you have to go to the city, Juvia should come with you."

I shook my head fiercely. "No. You're one of the Most Wanted Criminals of AMC, and everyone knows your face. If they see me with you, they'll kill the both of us. I'll be fine traveling alone." I gave her my best encouraging smile. She took the lie for what it was truly worth and grimaced.

Gajeel exhaled sharply. "AMC is most likely going to start in the city for mages escaping, which means that if the RHA has taken Levy they'll be running the opposite way."

"No," I disagreed. "If they ran that way, AMC will pursue them, and they'll be lead straight to their guild. RHA wouldn't take the risk, so they would hide within city limits until everything blows over. It's nearly impossible to track anyone in the city, so it'll provide the most coverage until then."

"So what? You're going to track them down through the city yourself?" Gajeel asked.

"No," Pinky suddenly spoke up. "I am."

I blinked in shock. "What?" I asked ineloquently.

He gazed deeply into my eyes the same way he had in the pit as if he were trying to look into my soul. "I depend on my nakama for everything, and I understand how you feel when one of them goes missing. I vow to do whatever I can to help you find her."

"B-but how?" I asked, completely dumbfounded. "It's impossible! Unless you're like a hound dog, and you can trace her scent, then I don't see…" I trailed off as the three exchanged a mocking glance. Something seemed to click inside of me, warning me that I have been ignorant of some crucial information. My eyes narrowed and cut between the three of them. I didn't know what they were hiding, but I was determined to find out.

_BOOM!_

A loud explosion blasted on the other side of the building, followed by shrilling sirens and desperate cries screaming in the dark of the night. A blimp was in the air with attached canons aimed ready to fire at everyone below it. Figures covered in tight, black uniforms with cords tied around their belts leaped from the blimp and landed among the panicking crowd. Some carried megaphones, and booming voices cut through the chaos, echoing the creed of the AMC:

"Under the act our vigilant and merciful Commander, we our vowed to purge this world of the use of magic and create a world clean of the vile wielders of such power. We are equal in this new world, and through the capture and new teachings of the Anti-Magic Council, we demand the surrender of all mages and the conformation to the new policies."

Before I could even act, the flamer grabbed my hand and started dragging me towards the mass of people running away from the Special Forces. "C'mon or else we'll never make it to the city!"

My feet hammered after him instinctively, but my heart lurched unhappily. "What about Gajeel and Juvia? What about the others?"

He never slowed down, but his head swiveled back to where we were just standing. I followed his gaze just in time to see Gajeel disappear behind inside a trap door beneath the earth. Juvia went after him, but before she too went inside, she looked back at us and made the most obscure gesture I had ever seen. Her right hand made an "L" shape with her palm facing away, and she pointed it proudly high into the air. A single tear trickled down her cheek and glimmered once before she stepped down into the dark and the steel door slammed tightly behind her.

* * *

**This was such a fun chapter! The next one will be up soon! It's already like 80% done so yay, quick update! **

**!REVIEW!**

**Thanks for everyone that has read it and enjoyed it so far! You guys are awesome, and I love writing for all of you :)**


	4. Rogue Hunters

**C'mon people? What is up with these lack of reviews? I know you're out there, so let me know what you are thinking!**

**I know this story is leaving some holes that make you wonder what's really going on, but it was written to be like that. Everything will be revealed in good time :)**

**I do not own Fairy Tail. Enjoy!**

Pinky's hand tightened around mine, but he never said a word or made any reaction as he directed us through the raging swarm of people. I didn't know where he was leading us, but it soon became apparent that we were heading towards the Special Forces Unit. Realizing this, I slammed my heels into the dirt and yielded.

He must have assumed I would react this way because before I could even argue, he turned around and swept me over his shoulder as if I were just a sack of useless potatoes. "No!" I cried. "We can't head that way! We'll be captured!"

"You have to trust me," was all he said. I don't know whether it was the fact that he had saved me earlier or the fact that he was willing to risk his life to save my friend, but I kept my mouth shut and my head down. I didn't trust him fully, not yet anyways, but something told me that for now, he wasn't one of those guys who made a promise and would go through with it. Something in my chest made a funny fluttering feeling, but I pushed it away to focus on the situation at hand.

For carrying a full grown woman on his back, he was doing a pretty damn good job of avoiding the freaks running opposite of us. I hated being carried and man handled though. It made me feel utterly useless, but I tried not to complain since I wasn't the one actually fighting the crowd. Hopefully, we wouldn't run into any Special Forces, because I had one run in with them while on a job…let's just say that RHA weren't the only people in this world who were beyond cruel and diligent for their leader. They'd cut off their own arm if it meant they would accomplish their task.

Pinky suddenly swerved right, and we slammed against a hard rock body. I went flying over them both, screaming in surprise as I rolled around in the dirt until I was able to regain my footing. My head had banged hard against the ground, and I rubbed the sore spot with my hand, cursing. Pinky popped up beside me, his face full of concern and mocking my own irritation.

"Sorry, I didn't see that giant asshole," he said and jerked his thumb behind him to where a gargantuan man's body lied sprawled on the dirt.

"Seriously? You didn't see that big mountain of a man barging towards us? Are you blind as well as stupid?" I shouted.

Pinky rolled his eyes and muttered a curse too low for me to fully understand. His warm fingers wrapped around my wrist, and he started leading me away from the crowd where a large, black Jeep sat. Who just leaves something like this around?

"It's Gray's," he answered for me, a wicked grin on his face as he jumped into the passenger seat.

"Whoa! Why aren't you driving? I'm not all into hijacking my friend's car," I complained.

Pinky shot me a mortified look. "You're his friend?"

"Yeah," I answered, and pointed at the driver's seat. "And I'm not driving his damn car!"

"STOP! In the name of the AMC, I demand you surrender!"

I screamed as the deep voice bellowed behind me. Swiveling around, I prepared myself for a fight, but the guy was chasing one of the band members I had seen playing earlier. The Special Forces Agent's attention was fully directed on him, so without hesitation I jumped into the Jeep. Pinky had disappeared under the dash while I was distracted and managed to hotwire the car. I slammed the gears into place and burned out as we made our get away.

"Gray is going to be so furious!" I shouted into the wind as I readjusted my mirrors. The blimp was still hanging ominously above the bar, and it was a miracle no one gave chase. We managed smooth sailing somehow. I guess they were so preoccupied with dealing with the crowd, a few escapees in a Jeep didn't really mean much to them. "Okay, I'll admit it, stealing the car was a pretty smart move. You're a pretty clever guy, and you're an awesome fighter. You saved my life back there—more than once. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for your kindness, but I hope that we could at least start by being friends…so uh…what's your name exact—OH MY GOSH!"

Pinky was hanging over the side of the Jeep, hurling his guts out, completely unaware of me openly admiring him. Ugh! This is what I get for trying to be nice! Fuck it! I'll never try being nice ever again if this is how I'm going to be repaid. No wonder he wanted me to drive; he's totally pathetic!

Beyond pissed now that I had to haul his sick ass around, I drove for about twenty minutes in silence until we reached the outer limits of the city. I drove around the outskirts at least once to pick the best position for us to enter. Seeing that it was just easier to enter through the east gate near my home, I slammed the Jeep into park, and kicked the worthless fire mage out. He crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach as he fought the last bit of nausea.

As he recovered, I decided to tell him the plan I had developed while I was driving and he was puking. "Listen," I started, crouching beside him so that I wouldn't have to raise my voice. "AMC agents are probably swarming the city right now. It would be safer to wait until tomorrow night to look for Levy. I know what RHA might be doing to her, but they won't risk getting caught just for her. They'll wait until it's clear to move again. Until then, we can hide out at my hotel room."

"Hotel room?" he asked breathlessly.

I scratched the back of my head, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Yeah, I've been looking for a place to settle down at, but for now, I'm in and out of hotels. But, that's not what's important right now. You need to pull yourself together. My room is just over this wall"—I pointed towards the wall protecting the city—"and I need your help getting over it. You'll have to use your fire magic—"

Instantly revived, he bolted into the air and started shouting, "All right! I can use my magic!"

His hands lit up with his excitement, and flame balls were sent into the air. Panic surged through me, and before he could fling another one into the air, I tackled him to the ground. My body straddled his, and I placed my hand over his lips to silence him. "Do that again, and I'll—" My threat went cold when I realized how close we were, and my skimpy clothes felt suddenly too revealing. He must have noticed it too, because something tightened against the inner part of my leg. I flung myself off of him faster than humanly possible, a fiery blush burning every inch of my skin. Dammit Luce! Get it together!

Pinky seemed to shake it off faster than I did, and he got to his feet and started examining the outer wall. He rubbed his chin and hummed a small tune. Then an idea donned on him, and he turned to me just as excited as he was a moment ago. I glared daggers at him for making me feel so ridiculous even though it wasn't his fault. He ignored me and threw me over his shoulder again.

Okay. One time was barely tolerable, but twice within an hour was absolutely a big hell no! "Put me down!" I yelled furiously, banging on his back with wimpy punches. His laugh vibrated my entire body. "Mother fucker, I'm not playing!"

"I'd love to play with you," he grumbled teasingly, and I nearly killed him right then. He must have sensed my growing tension, because he elaborated, "I'm sorry, but it's the only way to get you over the wall. Just hold on tight."

His feet burst into flames, and I didn't have time to scream in pure fear before he jumped into the air, using the fire under him as a way to propel us higher into the air. My arms wrapped around his waist in fear, and my face pressed against the tight muscles on his back. The connection only managed to calm me a little bit. I hated fucking heights. My eyes pinched together, and I counted the seconds until we landed on the other side of the wall. My heart hammered hard against my chest, and tears trickled down my cheeks. The fear was taking over every rational part of my body. We must have made it over the wall, because my stomach lurched from the sudden dropping sensation. All the while, Pinky was careful to use short bursts to slow our descent as soon as we were over as to not attract attention.

As soon as we landed, Pinky pulled me off his shoulder, my arms released until I was on my own feet. However, my knees were still weak, and I fell against his chest. My eyes refused to open, and I wrapped my arms around him again, sucking in his warmth to relax me.

He tensed for a moment, but then hesitantly, he returned the small gesture. "I'm sorry Luce," he murmured into my hair. "I wasn't going to let anything happen to you."

Those words echoed through my mind, bringing an unpleasant memory with them of someone who said something similar and… well, it was too painful to say. My eyes shot open, and I pushed myself out of his embrace. He looked surprised, but I shook my head. "Sorry, I just—don't like heights," I lied, hoping he didn't catch the hitch in my voice.

If he did, he made no indication to it, and he started looking around. "So, I guess now it's your turn, since I have no idea where we're going."

"Oh, right," I said awkwardly, and looked around us as well, assessing the building. Flame boy stared at me all the while, making my cheeks heat up. "We are behind a restaurant close to my hotel. If we continue left for three blocks, then cross the street carefully, we should be able to sneak into the bottom floor and assess my window from the outside."

"How? Aren't the windows usually locked?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, I left it unlocked so that I could sneak back in again in case something happened."

He only nodded and gestured for me to take the lead. I didn't like him following behind me, but remembering that he was gay seemed to reassure my nerves. Then again, I was beginning to rethink his whole sexuality with his earlier teasing and slight arousal that I was sitting nearly naked on him. That or something was in his pocket. I highly doubted it though. Guess that meant flame boy might still be in my grasp…hmm…and we were staying in a hotel all night and day long alone together…

"Hey, what's up with your face?"

I froze. "W-what?" He made a creeper look, mocking me, and a blush went full flame on my face. Fuck! He caught me going all perverted Lucy on him! "N-nothing. It's nothing. I don't know what you're talking about. How can you even see me anyways?"

He pointed towards the back of a shop that was littered with discarded mirrors. I cursed and kicked one as I passed. Who the hell just leaves these things just lying around? It's as if the whole world is just fated to embarrass me.

Trying to focus more, we crept through the shadows of the buildings, avoiding the discarded garbage and dilapidated state of some old shops that had long been abandoned. After the guild wars, some towns had constructed walls to keep out unwanted guests and protect its citizens. However, the damage of the war had already wrecked most cities, and this one was not an exception. Rubble had been cleaned out to make new homes and businesses, but some buildings had remained to serve as a reminder like an ugly battle scar. The wreckage sat among the new.

As we reached the end of the third block, I came to a low crouch, and observed the streets. Agents were blocking up the roads, and I cursed low as I watched a unit enter the hotel. They weren't looking for mages per say, but something equally as frightening—hunters. It was a routine clock in to make sure hunters weren't going rogue, and I kicked myself for following Levy into the bar.

"What's going on?" the flame mage whispered, his breath hot on my back. Goosebumps tickled down my skin, and he watched them rise on my skin with a growing side grin.

I swatted his shoulder, and he looked away with a pouting face. I ignored his look, and gestured towards the hotel. "We have to sneak behind the cars parked over there to sneak in the back, and we have to do it fast—"

"Why are the AMC agents here? We probably shouldn't go back to your room if they—"

"We have to go back," I nearly shouted. He shot me a suspicious look, but I gave him a smooth lie, "They check the guest lists and make random room checks. Odds are a curfew was set out a few hours ago, and if they go by my room and I'm not there, I'll be in a lot of trouble."

He seemed to buy it, and we walked backwards behind the building and down another block. At the end of another abandoned shop, I looked at the agents and the cars lined up in front of the hotel. When I was sure no one was looking, I darted out as fast as I could until I had reached the other side. Pinky was right on my heels, which was good since I didn't have to wait for him. We snuck around the backside of the hotel, and I counted the windows until I came to the seventh from the left. Jiggling the window sill, I found it unlocked and pushed it up. Quietly, I jumped inside the room. A second later, the mage came crashing after me.

I slammed the window shut and locked it back. As soon as it clicked into place, I sprinted after my cell lying beside the wall where I had thrown it earlier that day. I pounded on the keys, logging in to my hunter's data. A strewn of unanswered messages jumped off the screen. I scrolled through them until I found one from Special Forces. It blipped when I pressed it. The message alerted me to a failed check in time a few minutes ago and I cursed. Someone had already been by my room, which meant they'd return any minute. If I suddenly appeared, they'd start asking questions, and I hated questions. Cursing lowly, I threw the cell down again. Pinky eyed me curiously, and an idea rose in my head.

I strode quickly towards him, and I told him to be quiet and grabbed his arm, leading him towards the bathroom. His eyes went wild as I turned the shower on and pushed him into the tub. "Give me your pants," I demanded. He went red, and tried to complain, but I shook my head. "Don't talk. Just do what I ask or else we're both dead."

I knew he thought I was crazy, but he quietly did as I asked. He started with the string lacing them together, and before he could drop them, I turned around, trying not to look. He tapped my shoulder, and I held my hand out. He placed them in my hand, and I dropped them near the door. Then, quickly, I stripped out of my bra and underwear. The scarf wrapped around my head was the last thing to go. My blonde locks fell to my shoulders in a matted mess, but it felt good to have it free again. Pinky took a sharp intake of breath behind me.

My cheeks were burning full force, but I turned to him, crossing my hands tightly over my chest. "Look, I know this is crazy, and I can explain later, but right now…I need you to do something for me…"

He was silent, and I made the mistake of looking up at him. He was staring straight back into my eyes, a light blush painted on his cheeks. His mouth was open slightly, not even trying to hide his surprise. The water from the shower melted around his muscles, running its fingers hungrily down his figure with slow, trickling streaks. Gathering all the courage I could, I stepped in, instantly feeling the heat and smelling the mix of the mud and the spice dancing of his skin. It was intoxicating, and being this close to him, fully exposed, was torture. I wanted so much to run my trembling hands down his sides, and steal the breath from his lips when mine collided with his…but I didn't dare touch him. I couldn't. I didn't trust myself.

"What now?" he asked so quietly I almost doubted he spoke at all.

My eyes wandered to his, and I saw the same conflictions in his onyx orbs. I bit my lip, trying to suck up the courage to ask what I didn't dare allow myself to have… "I-I need you to pretend to m-make love to me."

His eyes went wide with shock and panic. They flickered to the door and back, and his jaw flexed. He searched for words, but was too dumbstruck to find any. I cleared my throat, and his attention narrowed in on my face. "Some people are always after me, and they are always on my tail. If I am not doing what I am supposed to do, I will be killed. They'll know I wasn't here earlier, which means…I need an alibi."

It suddenly clicked in his head. "So you want to use me as an excuse that you were so consumed making love to a man that you weren't able to answer your door."

"Seems legitimate right?" I asked nervously.

He rolled his eyes. "That's the most ridiculous plan I've heard."

"Well it's the only one I've got at the moment and explains why you're here," I shot back at him.

He huffed angrily, and just as I thought he was about to bail, he turned to me and pressed me against the shower, both arms resting on either side of my head. I gulped audibly, and the heat of the shower rose. The water turned to steam on his body, but I couldn't marvel at it for too long, when his long fingers touched my chin and forced me to look into his eyes.

"Well," he all but purred in desire, "we better make this look damn good if you're going to get away with it."

My heart pounded hard against my chest, threatening to take flight any second, and my stomach was filled with the lightest air as if it were already flying. I'm surprised my body was still on the ground because I felt as high as a kite with his body pressed hard against mine, and his eyes staring seductively into my soul, threatening to devour it. I was afraid and enraptured by this man who could make me feel such things.

His head tilted, and he nuzzled against my neck, his lips finding purchase on my soft skin. A moan of pure bliss sighed through my mouth, and he chuckled against me. His hot tongue slithered along my jaw line, and kisses slowly traced my throat. My breathing faltered as if my lungs forgot how to breathe. His hot hands gently touched my waist and hesitantly moved along my curves. He seemed just as nervous as I was about touching me, but it was too damn unbearable to push them off. I wanted him to lavish me with those gentle hands, and I wanted to feel every inch of him with my fingertips. But, just as I was about to start, his hands shot out, and caught my wrists. He pinned them high over my head, and his ragged breathing filled my hearing.

"Don't," he growled. "I won't be able to stop myself if you touch me."

"S-sorry," I muttered, but felt my heart drop unexpectedly. I had to remember that this was fake. Part of me was glad he wasn't that kind of guy that tried to take advantage of me. In fact, if he were anyone else, I'm sure he would. But, he was only working me up to make this look real…but oh how I wanted it to be…

His forehead rested against mine, and his hips were set awkwardly away from me. I didn't have to look down to know he was trying not to rub his erection against me. Heat pooled in my lower half, and if I was half the animal I thought I was, I would have taken his cock in my hands and shown him just how I felt about him trying to control himself around me.

_Knock, knock! _ "Miss Lucy?" a male voice called out from the door outside the bathroom. I nearly jumped out of my skin in fright. Pinky laughed at me, and turned the shower off. I shot him a dirty look as I stepped out the shower, wrapped a towel around my torso and started for the door. The Agent knocked again, and I pulled it open.

"What?" I asked, trying to sound as annoyed as possible for ruining my "moment".

The man who stood at the door wore the same uniform as the agents that had shown up at the Iron Dragon. His black hair was being held back by a black ball cap, and his sharp eyes looked up from under the brim. From his belt, he removed a small scanner, and I raised my forearm instinctively. The red bar hit my skin, and the small microchip buried under my skin lit up for a small second before it disappeared again. My arm dropped back down to my side, and he replaced the scanner on his belt. He checked his clip board in his hand, and scribbled down notes. "Where were you earlier for the check in?"

"Sorry, officer," the flame mage spoke up behind me, and I was relieved he had not seen him scan my arm a second ago. He drooped a lazy arm around my shoulders and winked. "I had her a little preoccupied."

Heat flamed on my cheeks in embarrassment. The officer made a nod of confirmation, seeming to take the lie. He made a quick check mark beside my name, and tipping his hat, left. As soon as he disappeared down the next hallway, I slammed the door, and slumped against the wood, breathing a sigh of relief. The lie had worked a lot better than I thought. I guess being a "whore" had its advantages. I didn't give a damn what anyone thought about me, but at least this meant I was in the clear for another day longer.

Pinky laughed at my state, and he leaped onto the bed. A towel was wrapped around his hips, but it threatened to come open with a simple tug. It was too tempting to think about, and I didn't anymore temptation tonight. I grabbed my large suitcase and flipped it open. Rumaging through it, I grabbed a pair of tan cargo pants, a black t-shirt, and a pair of boxers. I threw the clothes at him, and said, "Put those on. I'm going to finish my shower."

He picked up the clothes and eyed them curiously. "Why the hell do you have guy clothes?" He shot me an accusing look, and I slapped his arm.

"It's not what you think," I growled. "I'm not one to just sleep with whoever happens to stroll into my room."

His eyes were still tight, but he shrugged and stood up. His towel dropped from around his waist, and my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Holy shit he was even sexier when I wasn't too embarrassed to look at him.

"Dammit!" I cried, turning away in shame. "At least wait until I'm out of the room to change!"

"Why?" he asked simply. "I thought you were gay."

I swiveled to glare at him, my mouth dropped in bewilderment. "What?" I shrieked. "Me? Gay?"

The boxers were already on his hips or else I would have sneaked another peak. His pink eyebrow arched as he said, "Yeah. I mean what kind of girl rolls around in the mud, is embarrassed to have sex with a man, and has guy clothes at her disposal."

My hand wrapped around the pillow on the bed, and I chunked it at him as hard as I could. He dodged it with ease. "Are you kidding me? What kind of sick question is that? Me! That's who! Just because I was embarrassed by the shower incident doesn't mean I'm a lesbian! And guy clothes are comfortable!" So what I stole them off of mages that I captured, but he didn't have to know that. "What the hell does it matter to you anyways? You're gay!"

He fell over, but caught himself on the bed before he reached the floor. "W-what?"

"Oh, c'mon." I crossed my arms and grinned. "Your fucking hair is pink."

"It's salmon!" he complained, trying to cover his hair with his hands. "And it's natural. I can't dye it or anything because it won't work. I know, I 've tried."

"Aww poor baby," I jested and walked towards him. He leaned back as I approached, but I ran my fingers along his pink locks and laughed. "It's okay. It's kinda cute, and pink is my favorite color."

"It's salmon…" he grumbled unhappily, making me laugh.

"Well whatever. Gay or not, you're still adorable," I started and walked towards the bathroom. I grabbed my cell before I left the room, and shouted, "Make yourself comfortable…"

I paused in the doorway, remembering something crucial. He sensed my hesitation and gave me a quizzical expression. "Hey…what's your name again? I never caught it at the Iron Dragon."

He smiled brightly, and my heart melted as he said happily, "Natsu Dragneel."

"Natsu…" I whispered, rolling the name on my tongue. A sense of trepidation overwhelmed me, but I tried to push it down as I clambered back into the shower. The warm water did nothing to sooth me though like I thought it would. His name just sounded so hauntingly familiar…but I couldn't put my finger on it.

My cell comm started blaring, and I almost had a heart attack as it wrenched me away from my thoughts. Geez. This must be a big alarm. I stopped the water, and wrapped the towel around me again as I clicked in my pass code. An image of a wrecked Iron Dragon popped off the screen, and I touched the image, spinning it in small circles to assess the damage. A heavy exhale left my lungs. I guess there's no use every returning to Gajeel's place ever again.

Reports blared on the screen, constantly radiating a distressed red that outlined the unread messages and warning me to read them quickly as if my life depended on it. It probably did, but they could seriously kiss my ass because I hated when I clicked on one and it changed back to a calm neutral color, but the rest were still red. Yes, it seriously bugged me, so I spent the next few minutes flipping through it, randomly clicking on it until they were all changed back. Then, I started skimming through a couple of them that had attracted my attention.

These reports were usually sent out to all the hunters when an important and critical event had occurred—such as the Iron Dragon. Whenever an alert like this happened, it meant no matter where you were in the country or what you were doing, you were forced to forfeit all activities and act on whatever the AMC tasked you with to control this matter. Any minute now, I would be assigned a mission pertaining to the events at the Iron Dragon. Great…

According to the reports, a few other mages had been captured on the scene, but there were many more still at large. Video images played silently to the side of one report. It was dark and blurry, but I could just make out the faint magic circles popping up from the darkness. It didn't take long for me to figure it out it was Juvia who had been captured on the television. Other videos showed ice make magic which was either Lyon's or Gray's doing—or both. Before I could click on it to find out more, a holographic alert popped up with a bright yellow and black warning. The words inscribed on the message made my heart drop into my stomach: Rogue Hunter.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and prayed that it wasn't what I thought it was. Raising a shaky hand, I opened the message, and instantly I wanted to cry. An image of a small girl with blue locks flowing around her heart shaped face smiled innocently back at me, and under the picture in bright red letters read her name: Levy McGarden.

"Dammit!" I shouted and punched the wall beside me.

Anger shook my body, and I pinched my eyes closed as I remembered the day Juvia was announced a Rogue Hunter. This meant that everyone in the AMC would be reading Levy's personal files to learn everything they could about her—including her magic. Yes, I said magic. See, the biggest secret of the AMC Hunter's was every single one of us had been a mage at some point. AMC had purposely gone out of their way to recruit us. See, for a normal human, it is nearly impossible to sense magic, but if you had been a mage, it makes hunting anyone with magical abilities much easier and sufficient. That's why mages tended to hate us more than anyone else because most of the time, they see us as turncoats. They think that hunters went against their own brethren.

For most hunters, it was true. For me, it was a completely different story however, but... I still didn't want to think about it at this moment… Those memories were still too painful.

To become a hunter though, the had to take a vow to never use magic another day of their life, and they had to be implanted with a microchip that would sense if the Hunter used magic or not. If the Hunter did, they became a Rogue. If the Hunter ran away from the AMC, they became a rogue. If they cut out the microchip implanted in their arms, they became a Rogue. If they didn't follow protocol, they became a Rogue. You get the point. However, when a Rogue was captured, they weren't given the same mercies of mage. No. Rogues were killed on the spot if found.

I was willing to bet that the RHA had cut out Levy's microchip as soon as they found out what she was. Most RHA members tended to do it to AMC agents because it meant not only were they free game, but they if they somehow managed to escape them, AMC would find them and kill them.

"Fuck!" I yelled again, completely pissed that they would do something like this to Levy. Now, I wouldn't be able to save her. She'd be stuck running for the rest of her life like Juvia… What was I going to do now?

_Beep. Beep._

Another alert, but this time it was a mission assignment. Fear suddenly took over every ounce of my being, and some instinct told me not to answer the alert. To turn away from it and run… but that would make me a rogue. The councilman told me earlier if I did not abide by protocol, I would be trialed as a mage. Which meant, I would be kicked out of AMC and branded to society as an outcast. It was not the level of a Rogue, but it was still a miserable fate.

I clicked on the screen, and bit my lip in a nervous habit. It beeped again and asked: Do you accept? I couldn't view missions without accepting, so I scanned my microchip as a confirmation, and it started downloading the speculations of my newest assignment. However, when the report popped into place, I swore to kill the councilman because I knew he had handpicked this assignment for me. It had only been assigned a handful of times, but each time, a new hunter accepted it, they always went missing. A few weeks later, the hunter would be proclaimed deceased. No one accepted this mission and made it out alive.

The Salamander. No one knew who he was, or what he looked like. Mages kept their mouths shut about his true identity, only saying that he was some kind of legend out of a fairy tale. Whatever that meant. The only thing anyone knew about him was his magic was learned from a fire dragon.

Wait a minute…fire? Dragon? Gajeel was a powerful iron dragon slayer, and he said he was also taught by a dragon. But…Natsu used fire magic this evening, and when I watched him, he was plenty powerful…almost more than Gajeel and that was almost impossible. Could that mean Natsu was a fire dragon slayer? _The _fire dragon slayer? _The _Salamander? The legend out of a fairy tale?

Shit! If he was, then that meant…my damn assignment was sitting in my hotel room! Holy fucking shit!

I jumped to my feet, dropping the cell comm on the floor with a loud crash, and gripped my head in panic. My breathing was going just as erratic as my heart. Now, I really didn't know what to do! Levy was captured by the RHA, was declared a Rogue, and was going to be hunted down by the AMC for the rest of her life. That meant if I saved her, I would be a Rogue, and we'd be running around Fiore for the rest of our lives. I could save her from them and let her run free on her own without letting anyone know, but, if I still went to save her anyways, I wouldn't be able to find her without Natsu's help. And, I just accepted a mission to capture him and turn him into the AMC. If I kept running around with him, that meant I'd be a rogue!

I couldn't be a Rogue! I didn't care about being chased for the rest of my life, or what would happen to me. But, if I died before I carried out my promise… No. I couldn't do it. I can't be rogue. Not just yet. But, I had to find Levy. She's my best friend, and I couldn't let her suffer with the RHA. I may have to turn in Natsu, but I needed him for now. Since no one knew he was just yet, I still might be able to use him…

My eyes narrowed in on the door, and my body settled into a hard resolve. I could do this, I had to join Natsu and just make him a proposition he couldn't refuse! A plan was already forming in my mind as I turned the door knob, cackling evilly to myself.

**WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO? Coming up next: more hot scenes and developing Nalu ;)**

**R&R PLEASE :)**


	5. Hand Cuffs and Bed Posts

**It took long enough, but I'm finally back after a few weeks of writer's block. Sorry everyone if there is some confusing parts in my story. It's set up to slowly explain and reveal the characters' pasts throughout the story. You'll soon learn everything about Lucy and Natsu, and their "blossoming relationship". Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

My eyes narrowed in on the door, and my body settled into a hard resolve. I could do this, I had to join Natsu and just make him a proposition he couldn't refuse! A plan was already forming in my mind as I turned the door knob, cackling evilly to myself.

Natsu was sprawled out on the bed, his pink hair falling in small tufts around his face. Lights snores vibrated from his mouth, and I giggled at his cuteness. No, Lucy! He's not cute. He's the enemy, and you only need him to find Levy! Yet… He suddenly groaned in his sleep and rolled to his side, grabbing a pillow and pulling it tight into his chest. A smile touched his lips as he snuggled in closer, and I couldn't stop the warm feelings that bubbled in my heart as I watched this loving goofball. All the rumors suggested the Salamander was a cruel beast who never left his enemy alive, but looking at him now, I couldn't even imagine him harming another human. Even at the Iron Dragon watching him fight the hunters, he seemed incredibly powerful, but not cruel.

Is that why my heart suddenly clenched as I reached into my bag and pulled out the nullifying cuffs? Or was it because I jumped onto the bed and bound him to the frame while he was still asleep, not even giving him a fighting chance? Whatever the reason, my conscious did not like my actions, but I tried to convince myself it was necessary even though my heart didn't believe it.

The cuffs were a special accessory provided by AMC weapon experts. They were thin and white whenever they weren't operating, but when a Hunter strapped them around a mage's wrist, it hummed softly and glowed faintly silver. Whenever they made contact, they would instantly switch on and pull out the magic from the mage's body, and the magic was used by the Hunter to manipulate the mage to move however they want. Technically, according to AMC laws, it was manipulating the magic of the mage, not using magic. It's a bass-ackwards law, but hey, weren't they all?

As they pinched around Natsu's wrists and started to grow silver, I commanded them to tie around the bed frame and hold him up. They slapped tightly against his skin, and yanked his body hard into the metal head board. I even winced from the sudden impact, but Natsu didn't even wake up. He continued to snore even as he was suddenly in a sitting position with hand cuffs. I huffed and climbed on onto the bed until I was only few inches away. My palm slapped hard across his face, and the impact jolted him awake. He looked tiredly around the room, trying to remember where he was, his eyes found the cuffs just before those lazy onyx eyes drifted to me.

A pink eyebrow arched and a corner of his mouth perked up as he said, "Well you certainly have some kinky habits."

Heat rose to my cheeks, and I grumbled a frustrated curse just as I shoved my cell comm into his face. The mission was still on the screen, and as he read began reading it, understanding grew on his face until his eyes were nearly bugging out of his head. "We need to talk," I said calmly.

"Holy shit!" he shouted. "You're a hunter from AMC?"

"No fucking shit, you lizard," I hissed, as I flipped the cell closed and tossed it onto the bed beside me. "Now listen. I know this is going to sound strange, but I need a favor and—"

"No way!" he snarled and started fighting against the cuffs. His legs were free, and he bucked them up, accidently knocking me on top of him. I yelled in surprise and fell forward. My hands shot out, and I caught myself before I fell completely on top of him. However, I could feel the heat of his rage radiating off of him despite the cuffs draining his magic, and when I looked up, my face was only a breath away from his. I tensed instantly and realized I was completely lying on top of him while still in my towel. He must have noticed also because his eyes glinted brightly, and he bucked his hips suddenly. I yelped as I was propelled forward. My hands reached forward to catch myself before I collided into him, and they managed to slam against the wall just around his head, making me even closer to his face.

His breath was hot on my cheeks as he slowly exhaled. His eyes were lit with fire and held promises to end me should he ever get free. That's why he made me come closer, to see his rage full on and try to intimidate me. Well, he was messing with the wrong chick. I swallowed hard, trying to hide my rising blush as I glowered back at him. My palm flew forward and met his cheek, and his face went white with shock. "Listen here," I yelled, trying to sound more confident than I really was. "I'm not about to let some mage get the best of me. I've thrown down with the worst and _always_ manage to come out victorious—" His eyes narrowed. "—and you will be no exception."

"Filthy Hunter," he murmured. "I should have known what you really were by the way you seemed to know too much about the AMC at Gajeel's bar. Now it's in ruin thanks to you."

"I had nothing to do with that!" I pleaded.

"Sure and you had nothing to do with Erza either!" As he snarled, his elongated canines gleamed sharply in the dull hotel room. He made to move again, but I positioned myself to where my knees would dig into the muscles on his legs. He growled, but stopped fighting.

I shook my head and sighed. "I don't even know who that is, but you have to listen to me—"

"Why should I?" he snapped. "Your kind has done nothing but ruined this country. This was once my home, but now it's nothing but a prison no matter where I run. I'm tired of sitting back and cowering away from who I am! You want a world purged of magic? Well how about a world with less Hunters and Anti-Magic Councilors!"

"Enough!" I shouted and jumped off the bed. His mouth flew open to argue, but I shot him a menacing look and he stopped. Unable to stay still, I started pacing, trying to level out my breathing before I killed this loud mouth for bad-talking me. Who was he to judge me? He didn't even know my story or how I came to be a Hunter. As if I really chose this life.

"Then why are you one?" he asked, and I realized I had spoken my thoughts aloud. He was still frustrated as hell and started examining the cuffs around his wrists, but curiosity must have gotten to him.

I folded my hands around my chest and sat on the edge of the bed, my back facing him, and my head sunk into my hands. Grief and agony were starting a storm inside my head, bringing back memories of those long lost years filled with so much blood, tears, and loneliness.

"I failed," I said simply. Natsu fell silent, and I could feel his eyes boring into me. I ignored him, fighting off my personal demons taunting me in my head, but tears started to overflow anyways. Sniffing, I wiped them angrily off my face. He never said anything, just listened as I struggled against my own emotions, trying to put them back in place before I completely melted down. Finally, after some time, I managed to scrape enough energy to inhale deeply and face him again.

I don't know what I expected—confusion, anger, hate—possibly all of those since I just exposed that I was his enemy, but what I saw in his eyes was something completely different. It was understanding. This pain, this hurt…he must have known it too at one time. He knew exactly the same feelings I had, but…

"I don't want you to pity me," I told him coldly.

He huffed and turned his gaze away. "As if I'd ever pity a mage killer."

"I'm not a mage killer," I informed him. "In fact, I'm not even the kind of Hunter you think I am."

"As if you know what I think you are," he growled and shot me an incredulous look.

I stood up, and crossing my arms, I met his stare, and stood my ground. "Actually I do know what kind. It's the same thing that every mage ever thinks I am. A lethal Hunter from AMC trained to assassinate or capture and bring back people for them to experiment on or whatever they do. You think I'm cold hearted, ruthless, and a traitor." He was careful to mask his expressions, but I could see his mind assessing every word I said. "I'm not. In fact, if you want an example of exactly what kind of mage I am, then I'll be glad to point out that not twenty-four hours ago, I captured Lyon Vastia and turned him into the police to be sent to AMC."

His head cocked to the side as he pondered for a moment, and I only smirked. He must remembered my fight with Lyon in the Pit tonight. Though I hadn't seen him, he must have been watching the fight somewhere. Something clicked into his mind and he whistled low. "Wow, you must really suck at being a Hunter."

_That_ was not why I told him that. Grabbing a pillow, I chunked it at his head. He yelled in surprise and tried to escape but realized he couldn't move because of the cuffs and took the full force in the face. He growled and started thriving, but I hopped on top of him and grabbed a handful of his salmon hair. He groaned against the tugging. "Listen, _Natsu_," I spat. "What I was trying to point out was that yes he did escape, but don't you find it odd how we were almost friends even while we were fighting? Any normal Hunter would have captured him and turned him back into the AMC."

"So you're basically just explaining how weird you are."

I slapped him again, hard. He grumbled a complaint, but I ignored him as I continued. "I've never hurt a single mage before, and I never will. With everyone that I have ever captured, I offer them a deal. I'll give them a chance at escape, so long as they find out information for me. I offered Lyon a chance at freedom as long as he set Sherry free. He agreed, and though I may have rough-housed him, he managed to escape the prison. My assignment was completed thanks to Levy filling in my paper work a few hours before I actually turned him in. After he escaped, it was not my job to go after him again. I've saved countless mages, including Gray, Gajeel, and even Juvia. They all know who I am, and they know what I have done."

Natsu glared suspiciously. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

I shrugged. "I've never believed in lying." I flashed him my most charming smile, but he looked away. I frowned. I knew it was a little too much to ask to be friends, but I would be nice to have another mage on the inside. "Anyways, now that I have technically captured you, I'm here to offer you a deal. Either I can haul your ass to AMC right now and be done with you-" he snarled, as if daring me to try "-or we can be friends, and you can help me find Levy like you've already promised. On top of that, I promise to always protect you and make sure no Hunter will ever capture you, or any of your guildmates." Of course, I didn't know how exactly I was going to be able to protect all of them, but I never backed down on a promise. Of course, Fairy Tail was always rambunctious group, and it would be a difficult job. Besides, I didn't even know anyone in that guild besides Natsu. As far as I knew, he could be the sole survivor.

He growled a little bit, and I thought he was going to reject me outright. Instead, he mumbled, "Friends don't tie each other to bed posts."

I laughed. "Sorry about that, but I didn't want you running rampant in the hotel and causing a scene."

"So untie me."

"Nope."

"Why the hell not?"

Sighing, I scratched the back of my head. "I know this sounds crazy and starting to be friends would be great, but I don't entirely trust you not to kill me in my sleep and destroy this town."

"What?" he screeched. "I'm stuck with you because of these damn kinky things you have on me! I don't trust you at all, and who said anything about being friends? You're too weird!"

"Says the one with pink hair!" I retorted.

"It's not pink!" he shouted and started thrashing all over the bed.

"Hey calm down before you break the bed!" I complained loudly, but he wouldn't stop. Frustrated, I climbed back on top of him one last time, trying to restrain him, but he wouldn't calm down. I dug my knees into his sides, and slapped him once again. Okay, maybe I didn't have to do it, but it was a lot of fun.

He screamed once, and bucked his hips once again. This time I was so off balance I wasn't able to catch myself. My arms flew out helplessly, but my head smacked right into his forehead. I clutched my head, and teetered to the side helplessly. Natsu stopped fighting and started making this half screaming, half choking sound from the sudden attack.

A stream of tears rolled down his cheek and he murmured, "I'm in hell and being tortured by some crazy, weird demon chick with a head full of bricks."

I started to mumble a retort when the telephone rang from the bedside. I nearly leaped out of my skin, and tumbled off the side of the bed in a panic mess. Natsu was still deadpanned, so I grabbed the phone, and answered. "H-hello?"

"Miss Heartfilia?" an annoyed, middle aged woman asked.

"Yes?"

"There's been a noise complaint about your room," she fumed. "You'll either have to cease whatever _activities _you are doing or else I'll kick both you and your _partner _out."

"Partner?" I asked aloud. How did she know Natsu was in here with me? Could the Special Forces guy told her?

"Yes, Miss Heartfilia. Other residents have been saying there's been a lot of banging and screaming erupting from your room. Now either calm it down, or you'll both be kicked out tonight!" She hung up furiously, and I placed the receiver back down. Natsu was still pretty out of it, and I rolled my eyes. Yeah, no problem. Situation is _completely _under control.

Since I hadn't lied to him about not trusting him yet, I decided to leave him hand cuffed to the bed that night. I changed into pajamas, pretty proud of my towel for never coming off even once while I was trying to subdue the dragon on the bed. My tank top was snug around my chest, and my shorts were hardly modest. However, after all our fighting tonight, I didn't expect anything too crazy to happen. Yeah, he was still incredibly hot, but he was wild and obnoxious. Someday, maybe we could be friends though.

It would be nice to have someone there for me besides Levy. Most of the time I was pretty lonely, and with my dad never supporting me with my life decisions, I was on my own. Even Levy turned to Gajeel, and Gray had Juvia. I didn't want anything romantic with Natsu, but…I don't know. Having someone by my side would be nice.

That or I could get a dog. Yeah, that would probably be the smarter option.

I switched off the lights, despite Natsu still being half awake. He was pretty much going to be in his own purgatory tonight. Sucks to suck, but I was tired and it was bed time. Switching off the lights, I curled onto the queen bed and tucked myself in tight. I tried staying as far away from Natsu as possible, but I doubted he was going to suffocate me in my sleep.

My eyes grew heavy, and I was starting to get lost in the waves of sleep when I felt the bed shift. I didn't bother to move since I was so tired. However, the bed vibrated as Natsu asked, "Lucy? Why are you going out of your way to save mages?"

The truth was too exhausting to bring up, so I just said, "I'm looking for someone. I can't quit until I find him…I made a promise a long time ago that I would do everything in my power to find them." I chuckled to myself. "I'd even join a damn mage's guild." As if that would happen.

Natsu never answered back, so I assumed he was asleep, and soon I was fast asleep as well. For being so close to this fire mage I didn't trust, I somehow managed to sleep comfortably throughout the entire night. Usually, I was plagued by nightmares, but that night, I didn't have a single one. It was quiet, and without any interruptions.

At least, until I woke up the next morning.

My pillow was soft and warm, and I could have slept in that same spot for hours, except for the fact that it was vibrating. What the hell? I don't remember pillows ever doing that before. I opened my eyes, cursing the early hour. Drool was stuck to my chin, and I wiped it with the back of my hand. I fluffed my pillow a little, but Natsu jumped.

"Why are you tickling me?"

"What the hell are you talking about, pinky?" I asked, and looked up into his eyes.

Deep onyx stared back at me with complete bewilderment, and it took all of two seconds for me to then realize that I had snuggled up to him in the middle of the night. I screeched and flung myself off the bed. I definitely did not need encouragement to get the hell off of him. A flaming blush rushed up my cheeks, and I started spouting apologies. Natsu looked just as uncomfortable as I was, but he just nodded, not bothering to meet my gaze.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled. "Can you just get me out of these things already?" He pulled on the hand cuffs, and I laughed. I crawled back onto the bed, being careful not to touch him. The band on the cuffs were designed to react to an individual Hunter's touch, and as soon as it registered my fingerprints, they beeped and clicked off. They fell beside Natsu on the bed, and I swiped them up and chunked them into my suitcase. "Ah," he sighed, rubbing the irritated skin on his wrists that were a bright pink thanks to his struggling last night. "That feels so much better."

I didn't reply as I scooped a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom to change. "I'll be right out," I warned him. "If you even think about running away, I'm not afraid to hunt you down."

He made an inappropriate gesture with his middle finger and stuck his tongue out. My thoughts last night of abandoning this "friend" and getting a dog was starting to get even more tempting. Quickly, I slammed the door behind me and changed into a blue skirt and white shirt with a matching blue heart crux on the front. I looked in the mirror and saw my pathetic sight. Even after a good night of rest, I was still exhausted, and there were black circles under my eyes to prove it. Groaning, I turned away from the mirror and stormed out. Who cares what I really looked like anyways? All I needed was some caffeine and I'd be as good as new.

Natsu was staring out the window when I crept back into the room. If he heard me approach, he didn't give any acknowledgment of it. Quietly, I allowed him some space and any kind of privacy I could offer in this small hotel room. I quickly packed up my suitcase, but as I fumbled around in the bag, my fingers brushed up against the soft leather of the pouch. My hands began to tremble, and I was glad Natsu wasn't watching as I lifted it from the pile of clothes to examine. It was small, and the leather belt attached to it was hanging from the sides, still half hidden in my apparel. I untangled it and brought the leather to my lips. Kissing it gently as I wished more than anything, I could still hold onto the precious memories that it had brought me so long ago.

Natsu chuckled from beside me, startling me. He smiled and said, "If you're done making out with whatever you're holding, we've got to get moving."

I rolled my eyes at him but didn't put the pouch down. "You already have a plan?"

"Yeah," he argued, crossing his arms. "And it's genius."

"Anything coming from you is hardly genius," I grumbled.

"Hey, do you want help finding your friend or not?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. I exhaled in defeat and nodded for him to continue. He cleared his throat and continued, "Well, I thought about it for a pretty long time, but I guess you're too weird to actual be a good Hunter—" I started to argue just how damn good I was, but he cut me off. "Anyways, I figured since you have helped Gajeel and Juvia…and even that bastard Gray… that means I'm indebted to you. I owe you for protecting my friends."

He smiled the most charming smile I had ever seen in my life, and I had to look away before my hormones started to be all over the place again. "You don't owe me," I stated. "I just helped out a couple friends."

"Which means that we are friends," he argued, and my heart clenched tightly in my chest. "And since we are friends, I'm going to help you by finding Levy and whoever that person is you lost. That way you can stop being such a weird Hunter."

"And how exactly are you going to do that? You don't even know who I'm looking for."

"Easy. Last night you said you'd do anything to find them. Even join a guild!" Oh shit. He couldn't possibly mean… He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, his smile never faltering.

"N-Natsu!" I complained, not liking where his thoughts were heading. He ignored me though and grabbed my bags. He headed for the doors and threw them open. Flustered and unable to control this crazy fire mage, I strapped the leather belt and pouch around my hips and chased out the room after him. "I still don't know where we're going!" I complained.

He laughed and shot back towards me. He grabbed my wrists and started tugging me down the hallway. Luckily, no one came out of their rooms as he shouted, "C'mon! You wanted to join Fairy Tail right?"

**Getting taken to Fairy Tail? How will this Hunter cope with being surrounded by mages? What's going on with Levy, and who's this Erza and where has she gone?**

**All coming up next!**

**Review and let me know!**


	6. Finding Fairy Tail

**Okay! Chapter six! I have half of the next chapter done as well, but I most likely won't get around to finishing it until next week. Now I know there are people out there looking at my story and admiring ;) I see you! You cannot get away! You must REVIEW! YESS! Like some crazy Jedi mind trick except so much lamer because it does not work through the internet!**

**Haha Anyways, I do not own Fairy Tail, or else Natsu and Lucy would totally be canon already. Just saying. Also, Jellal and Erza would have already kissed before the Grand Magic Games instead of Jellal lying about having a fiance! Why Jellal? WHY!?**

**Ugh, okay enough ranting. Jellal and Erza aren't even in this story. Yet. Geez. **

**Well, this chapter was a lot of fun to write, and it took me most of the morning to finish. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)**

Magnolia. I never knew this is what it would look like, at least from inside the train car. Large trees—probably some of the last in Fiore—were scattered among the boundaries of the countryside, reaching desperately for the sky. Houses were built up like small cottages in the fields, and a few farmers were out tending to their crops with the rolling clouds and wind curling around them on such a lazy summer day. It was peaceful, the polar opposite of what the rest of Fiore was. Out here, it didn't even look like there were any scars from the Guild Wars…then maybe just for a moment I could pretend there was magic again…

I had only ever heard rumors of Magnolia and never ventured here before. It is said this town was once home to great mages, and they used to hold celebrations in their honor. The streets would be littered with confetti and decorations would hang on every corner as the mages paraded down the streets. Mama had once promised to take me to see the annual fantasia festival. She used to gloat about how beautiful it was once.

That was all before the guild wars however. No one really knows how they were started, but everyone knows the details. Guilds became involved in a small war that turned into a grand affair involving all mages that burned and destroyed every town they visited, leaving Fiore with much loss and chaos.

The AMC always preaches how when magic goes unchecked it can become untamed and will hurt and obliterate anything it touches. Even the mightiest wizards lose control, and so none should ever be trusted to wield it.

It was so wrong. Taking away a mage's magic was like stealing a part of them that they could never get back. The mages that were captured by AMC were taken down to the labs where they were looked at by Doctors. Personally, I had never been down there and never had a desire to see what was down there because each fiery mage taken down there always came back…different. The fire in their eyes was gone, their spirit crushed, and their mind weakened. They called it "neutered." Doctors had somehow figured out how to extract the magic within the mages body and eradicate their ability to wield it ever again.

It was sickening, and it was also another reason I never turned a mage in unless I had full confidence they were able to escape. The leather pouch on my hip felt heavier suddenly, and I patted it for comfort. It was foolish to bring it with me because it was too tempting to use. These last few years without being able to use magic were agonizing, and I couldn't imagine going the rest of my life without being able to use it. I would go crazy.

"L-Lu…" Natsu gurgled beside me, clutching his mouth to avoid puking. The idiot wanted to walk all the way here, but I firmly refused him and took the train. I had forgotten about his critical motion sickness until the train started, and he clunked to the side in a sick pathetic heap. I had wanted to ask him what it meant to be in a real guild and the requirements… but this is what I was left with. Basically, I was left to my own imagination. I just hope there weren't any blood rituals.

My skin crawled and I shuddered. Knowing how crazy Natsu was, there were probably some uniquely grueling tests to even join. Gah! I didn't even want to join a guild! I was totally kidding when I said that last night, and now it's too late.

"I'm going to die…" I complained, rubbing my temples. Natsu only replied with a high pitched groan of pain. "This is your entire fault," I told him. "I only want to find my friend, not join some—"

"Attention passengers! We have arrived at our destination: Magnolia Train Station. Thank you for joining us today, and we hope you have a nice stay!" a cheery feminine voice boomed over the intercom.

I gasped excitedly and looked back out the window, completely appalled by the big city station. Where there were once only farms and trees, were now concrete paths and cobblestone streets packed with the mirth of joyous travelers.

"Natsu we're here!" I shouted at him and spun around to show him, but he was on the floor still moaning like a seal. Eager to see more of this beautiful city, I rolled my eyes and grabbed the salamander under the arm to help him up. He murmured what sounded like a thanks as I started to drag him off the train.

Once we squeezed through the doors and landed on the pavement outside, Natsu slumped off my shoulder and fell to the ground. "Alive!" he screamed, kissing the concrete beneath him. "I'm alive!"

"You sure jump back fast…" I pointed out, sweat dropping. I placed my hands on my hips, laughing as he rolled onto his back and started swearing he would never travel again. I was about to mention that we needed to find a way to travel around the city, but the train's horn blared loudly, making me jump.

The wheels started to screech as they shifted forward slowly, but then slowly started to gain speed. The horn resounded again sharply through the station, and white steam plumed from the top of the train as it began to pull away towards its next destination. I had to admire its swiftness of getting passengers on and off, but it didn't take me long to realize a certain problem.

"Wait!" I cried, and reached for an officer in a crisp blue uniform. I reached for the train, but he pulled me back.

"Sorry miss, but it's too late and too dangerous to let you on board while the train is already leaving," he replied.

I swiped his hand off the back of my shirt. "I don't care about that! My luggage is still on there because I had to carry that idiot off instead," I shouted back, pointing accusingly to Natsu.

The officer only shrugged. "I'm sorry miss, but there is nothing we can do now. I'll call the next station and ask them to hold it for you there."

"What? No way!" Looking past him, I noticed a bright red lever next to the rails. Each station has a set of emergency brakes that stopped the train dead in its tracks. Without looking back at the officer, I shoved him down flat on his back and moved into action. I bolted for the lever, searching wildly for other officers as the guy I had just nailed reeled his whiny whistle to alert them.

A few jumped out of the crowd to my left, and with quick precision I threw two punches and downed them. I didn't even have time to throw back an apology as I dove for the brakes. The lever was much larger from where I had first seen it. I gripped it with both hands and pulled back as hard as I could. More officers appeared, and I cursed as they reached for me.

They all screamed suddenly, and bodies started flailing around. It didn't take a genius to know Natsu had come to save the day. Finally, that lazy asshole had been such a burden since this trip began. With one last shove, I managed to bring the lever all the way down. The train was completely out the station now, but it hadn't gotten too far down the tracks. It screeched and creaked and rammed against each other. Uncomfortable shouts rose from it, and I knew the passengers were going to be another fight entirely.

Not stopping, I jumped down off the ledge and onto the tracks. As I chased after the train, I yelled back, "Natsu! Hold them off until I get back!"

He shot me a delighted grin as if I had just baked him an entire cake. And he called me the weirdo!

The tracks were shaky beneath my feet, and I tried to be careful with each step so I wouldn't get caught between them. As much as I trusted Natsu's ability to fight off the guards, I knew I only had a small time frame to retrieve my luggage before the train made an override and started again. I had to be quick and precise with this extraction.

Luckily, I tried not to go anywhere—aside from the Iron Dragon last night—without my whip. It sat on my hip, and I grabbed it and aimed for the roof's edge of the train. It hit with amazing accuracy—naturally—and wrapped around the iron bar jutting out. I pulled tight on it, and using momentum, used it to climb onto the roof. I landed on both feet and shook the whip to release the edge. I dragged it along with me as I started to run, hopping from one ledge to the next, and counting the cars as I went. Natsu and I had been somewhere in the center of the train. I leaned toward the edge, and noticed one of the passengers left a window down. Seeing my window of opportunity, I skidded to the side, my fingers wrapped around the edge, and I flung my body into the train car.

Startled cries welcomed my entrance, but I ignored them, looking high into the rafters of the train where the luggage was stored. My bag had to be here somewhere… Ah ha! A bright pink bag answered my thoughts, calling to me. I sprinted towards the luggage, smiling like a giddy four year old. I skidded to halt of course when I realized a small family sitting there watching me.

The mother had paused her knitting, and the father stared with wide eyes, a pipe hanging loosely from his mouth. It was their daughter though that had caught my attention. Her blonde ringlets framed her perfect cherubic face, and those baby blue eyes stared back at me in wonder. She looked just like… No, Lucy! Concentrate!

"I-I'm sorry," I apologized swiftly, retrieving my bag above their heads. "I forgot this earlier. I'll let you get back to your nice train ride now."

I smiled back at them with the widest and guiltiest grin I had ever had. Popping up their window, I hopped onto the ledge and gave them one last apology. The little girl giggled at me, and a blush rose on my cheeks. I leaped from the window and landed just a few feet away from the tracks on the soft grass. The girl was leaning out the window when I turned around. She waved and shouted, "Bye strange lady!"

I laughed back and winked at her just as the train lurched forward and started again. The whistle wailed into the open sky, and the girl was still waving ecstatically as they were taken away from the station. The smile never left my lips, even when I returned to the station.

Except, Natsu had completely failed, and he had gotten caught. Now, I was stuck with him in the station's office with the sheriff of Magnolia bitching at us about the lives we had endangered and threatening us with time in jail. The officer I had assaulted earlier was holding up a pair of hand cuffs and looking too eager to lock me up somewhere. Rolling my eyes at him, I tried to listen to whatever the sheriff was yelling about right then. Natsu slumped in his chair, his lips pursed in frustration. His arms were crossed behind his head, and he looked about as interested in this lecture as I did.

"I should have you locked up for this!" The sheriff growled, slamming his fist into his oak desk. He rubbed his curly black chin hairs and sighed. "I'll let you go with a warning this time, but you'll be expected to do some community service and pay a hefty fine by the end of this month."

"What?" Natsu shouted. He pointed at me. "It was all her crazy fault though!"

"Thanks you coward," I mumbled.

The sheriff looked me over, and when our eyes met, he winked. I shuddered in disgust, and the officer chuckled like a maniac. "She may have stopped the train, but you were the man who knocked out twenty of my men."

"Twenty?" Natsu shrugged and I smiled at him. "Damn that's impressive."

He growled at little and murmured, "It would have been twenty-five if they didn't have a Taser."

I sucked in a sharp breath. "Wow. That's how they got you down? But still, twenty men is pretty awesome."

He grinned at me, and my heart did that peculiar fluttering. "Thanks. You should have seen these guys though! They came out of nowhere like secret train station ninjas!"

I laughed in response. "Those don't exist, Natsu."

"They do here!"

"Enough!" the sheriff roared, jumping to his feet. "The fine is one million jewels, and unless you don't get out of my office, you'll never be able to repay it."

"O-one m-m-million jewels?" Natsu stuttered, looking green again.

The sheriff crossed his arms. "That's right, and community service for six months starting tomorrow."

"But we don't have time!" Natsu yelled back, getting to his feet as well. "We have someone we need to find."

"Then you better hope you get on my good side so I'll release you a week early."

"This is bullshit!" Natsu cried, throwing himself back into his chair dramatically.

The sheriff started to roar back at him about how these were his policies, but I giggled, cutting him off. His silence humored me even more, and my laughter grew louder. He looked at me as if I had grown two heads, as I sauntered to his desk. I sat on the edge, and reaching into the cleavage of my shirt, I withdrew my Cell Comm.

I flipped it open, and off the screen popped my badge stating my name and my profession. The sheriff shrunk back into his seat, his face white. "Y-you're a Hunter?" he asked fearfully.

I smiled sadistically. "Such a clever little sheriff." My shoulders dropped, and I sighed dramatically. "I'm so sorry about stopping your train, and if my accomplice and I caused any issues. We were chasing down a rogue mage that had just hopped onto your train when it started to pull away, and we were simply trying to capture him before he could get away." The sheriff swallowed hard as I started flipping through my phone. "But…since I have been held up here, he's gotten away. It looks like I'll have to call AMC and tell them that some officers in Magnolia have been housing a mage and assisted with his escape since they're keeping me here until I pay off the fine and do community service."

"W-wait!" the sheriff cried as my finger hovered over the button to call the AMC. It would have gone straight to Mira, but he didn't need to know that. Most police forces in these towns were afraid of the AMC. All of them except my father's office of course. "You don't have to do that! I-I'll release you and your friend! You're free to go find him! I promise!"

He laughed nervously, and I clapped my phone shut. Smiling brightly, I hopped off his desk, grabbed a bewildered Natsu's arm, and started for the door. "Thanks again for helping out the AMC, and I'll make sure not to mention this little mishap."

The officer at the door, glared at me, and I stuck my tongue out as Natsu and I slipped away. We didn't speak to each other until we were walking down the main streets of Magnolia and completely out of ear shot. Vendors were out on the streets, beckoning to us to try out their wares. One lady had a bakery shop and was selling fresh cupcakes out front. My stomach growled loudly, and Natsu led me towards one of his favorite restaurants in town.

We grabbed a small booth away from most of the other visitors, and I placed my luggage beside my seat. Natsu ordered half the entrees off the menu, and I settled with just a plate of pasta and pesto. As the waitress sauntered off to get our food, Natsu finally launched into the incident at the station.

"How did you do that? Do you normally get away with things like that? Why did you even go back for your bag? Was there something important in there? Are you a spy? Is there like a dead body in your luggage?"

"Natsu!" I shouted at him. "Stop with the onslaught of questions. It's annoying. Geez."

"Sorry," he apologized, though I knew he didn't mean it. "But, you have to explain. I don't know anything about you, and I'm about to take you to my home!"

He shook his head as if he still couldn't believe it himself. I smiled gently at the goofball. The waitress returned soon with our food, and Natsu dug into his like a wild animal. His face was completely covered with food, and I gave him an exasperated look. He just ignored me and continued to eat. I was careful with the way I devoured food, and though he never asked why I ate with such etiquette, I could feel him watching me the whole time.

After lunch, we walked back down the main street. I admired the beautiful buildings, smiling at the multi colored houses as bright and sturdy as I imagined them as a child. According to some legends, the powerful mages that once protected Magnolia made sure that during the guild wars, the city was not touched. I guess I was so accustomed to seeing every city and village in complete or near disrepair that I hadn't allowed myself to believe the rumor was true. Now, seeing this city and how untouched it was by the war, I could almost fantasize about what it would have been like to come here with Mama for the festivals.

All the people we passed were pleasant and quaint. The shops offered free food, and one lady was showing people a room she had for rent. It was a little pricey, but I scooped up a brochure and promised to talk to her later. The apartment sat just off the way from a small river that ran through the town. I hopped onto the elevated edge of the street that separated the river from the road, and tried walking on it without losing balance. Some men from a boat yelled at me to be careful and I laughed at them.

Natsu was not quiet during the entire time. He kept gazing at me, threatening to expose my secrets of being a spy for the mages and infiltrating AMC. Honestly, where did he even get these ideas? I wasn't comfortable with him shouting out random conversations about mages, especially since anyone could be a Hunter and could turn us in at any time. However, as we passed through crowds of people, some would stop and grab Natsu. They thanked him for this and that, and he always smiled and insisted on helping them again soon.

One was a small grandmother who latched onto his arm. She squinted up at him and ruffled his pink hair. "You need to try doing something with your hair," she complained.

Natsu laughed, stroking a hand through his locks. "You know it's uncontrollable."

"Aye, and just as crazy as you are lad," she jested. "Thank you for helping me start my hearth the other day. I was getting cold, and I couldn't get a fire started to save me."

Natsu flashed her a charming smile. "Hopefully your son will be back soon so you won't freeze again, but if you ever need help, just let me know."

"Of course, deary," she cooed, and then her eyes fell on me. They twinkled with a hint of mischief, and she leaned in close to me and whispered, "Watch this one. He needs someone that won't ever leave his side."

I nodded to her, and the grandmother slipped back through the crowd. Natsu and I continued our trek to Fairy Tail as I recalled the days when mages used to be hired to help make the lives of ordinary humans easier. I guess that meant at one time, not all mages were supposedly bad…right?

Natsu was still going on about his fantasy of me being a spy. Now, he was spurting crap about how I was the long lost daughter of the greatest mage on earth and I had made a vow to save the planet and reunite all mages with my ordinary human friends. Of course, that fantasy only lasted a few seconds because he realized I was too weird to have ordinary friends.

"Natsu!" I barked, since we were finally at the outskirts of Magnolia. His attention snapped back to our surroundings. We had walked for about five minutes, where the buildings weren't falling apart, but this side of town must have been abandoned. The silence was eerie, and I was starting to get unnerved from the lack of his concern. "Zombies could be around here gnawing on your shoulder, and you wouldn't even know it because you're too busy fantasizing about me."

He winked. "And that's a bad thing?"

A mad blush rose on my cheeks, and ignoring his comment, pointed towards the asylum we were standing in front of that was especially creepy, I said, "Unless for some odd reason your guild is inside there, then I suggest you shut your trap and lead the way."

He blinked once. "It's in there," he stated simply.

Fear crept down my spine, and I straightened. "W-what?"

"It's inside the asylum," he said again.

"O-oh…good. That's what I thought you said," I muttered and turned towards the foreboding building. It stood tall, dark, and proud, and I could almost imagine vicious lightening splitting open the sky behind it. Of course his guild is in a freaking asylum. He's fucking crazy!

"Since the front of the guild is being investigated by AMC, we'll have to go in the back," he informed me, pulling back the rusty chain link fence, and gesturing for me to go first.

I gulped audibly and slipped through, praying that trusting him to take me here was a good decision, and not one that meant crazy blood rituals and sacrifices. Oh…I'm so going to die today…

"W-where's the front at?" I asked as we walked up the front steps, out footsteps echoing loudly on the dirty concrete.

"That door that Gajeel and Juvia slipped into last night was one of the doors to Fairy Tail," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I froze. "Wait. Then that means—"

"Oh yeah," Natsu suddenly remembered, "Gajeel, Juvia, and Gray are a part of Fairy Tail also."

Holy. Shit.

And here I thought that Natsu was a one-man wolf pack. I thought he was the sole survivor of Fairy Tail, but…all my friends…everyone I knew, every _mage _I personally knew was a part of Fairy Tail. The reality of it still didn't hit me clearly. I still felt like I was walking in a dream even as Natsu grabbed my wrist and showed me down the slipshod and abandoned hallways. Old posters clung to the walls were furling at the corners, and some were shred into pieces that littered the floor like leaves in a wild forest.

We spiraled through one hall after the other. Natsu kicked in a set of doors that led to a set of stairs. He released my hand, as he jumped down them two at a time. I followed silently, struggling with my heavy luggage. At the bottom was a clean white door with purple runes flashing about shoulder height.

The words were in an old language that luckily my old mentor had taught me. It read: "Do Fairies have Tails?"

"That's an odd question," I muttered.

Natsu didn't answer. He lifted his leg and knocked the door in, screeching loudly, "I'm home!"

He jumped through the door way anxiously, and I followed, completely appalled by what I saw inside. The basement…that's where we were, and yet, we weren't. The guild was made entirely out of wood, not surrounded by cold concrete like the asylum was. The orange rays of the setting sun reached through the windows where there was not supposed to be any light. Rows and rows of tables sat in the middle of this great hall between a bar and a stage with a massive blue curtain.

Mages, more than I had ever seen at once, sat everywhere, conversing, laughing, and playing games. A board with pinned papers and scrawled jobs and money rewards sat near the back where a few lingered, pointing and shouting. Natsu stood in the center. He threw his head back and laughed loudly as a man with blue hair flew a purple flame at him. Natsu chomped on it, and thanked him for the meal.

A blue blur rammed into Natsu's abs, and he looked down in surprise at the winged blue cat clutching onto him. "Natsu!" he blubbered. "Carla accepted Lily's fish and not mine!"

"It's not like that, male cat!" a white cat called out across the guild. A dark brown feline stood beside her, a scar going down his right eye. He only laughed at the frantic blue cat, but there did not appear to be anything romantic between him and the white cat, Carla.

Natsu only patted the blue cat's head to comfort him. "Hey Happy, I need to see Gramps. Have you seen him?"

Happy flew away just as a mug of ale collided with the side of Natsu's head. The guild laughed as the fire mage lit up in flames and started spewing a string of curses, daring whoever threw it to challenge him.

"No one wants to fight you, flame brain," a familiar voice called from the bar. My eyes drifted over, and I nearly died when I saw Gray sitting there with Juvia, sipping on a cold drink. Condensation was dripping down his glass, and when a drop hit his exposed chest, he swiped it away, and used ice magic to drop more ice into his drink.

"What did you say, popsicle?" Natsu demanded, I suddenly remembered that he had a serious problem with me being friends with Gray. It was probably due to his heated relationship with him. Natsu made his way to the bar, shouting, "I bet it was you who threw the damn beer! You can't even greet someone politely, you damn ice princess!" Gray used his ice magic to freeze Natsu and leaped down to fight the fire mage.

A flash of lightening erupted between them, and a burly man with immense muscles and a lightening scar on his face lifted Natsu by his shirt. "I threw it you little shit!"

"Laxus!" Natsu growled and started thrashing in his grip.

Laxus didn't release the flaming idiot. His eyes narrowed on Natsu, and he demanded, "Where were you? Gray said you had been out all night, but you can't even tell anyone here that you're still alive?"

"Let me go! I'll fight you too!" Natsu managed to get out of Laxus' grip, and he fell to his feet. Instead of attacking the lightening mage, he struck out with a sucker punch to Gray. He shouted in surprise but didn't fall back. He leaped onto Natsu, and they started brawling. "Hopeless," Laxus huffed and walked back towards the corner of the guild where a trio of misfits sat waiting for him.

A tan, gargantuan man jumped in front of Natsu and Gray and cried out loudly, "Fighting is MAN!"

"Shut up!" Gray and Natsu shouted in unison, and they simultaneously punched the poor guy in the face. Noticing that they had accomplished something together and not able to deal with it, they dove back into their fight.

The poor guy they punched landed at the feet of a mysterious guy with blonde hair and small glasses. His hands were filled with rings, and his ears had several piercings. He laughed easily, and three skimpy dressed girls around him giggled also. It was disgusting. "Why fight when you could have love?" he asked smoothly.

The girls around him squeal romantically, and cry together, "We love you Loke!"

I dropped my luggage at my feet and stare at him disbelievingly. Loke smiles and laughs, and the guy at his feet stood, providing cover for me to sneak closer to the damned man. I'll give him credit, he was adorable. I might have fallen for him here… if it weren't for the fact that I had known him practically all my life.

As the big guy walked away, luckily not noticing me, I stood menacing over Loke. In the scariest voice I could muster, I snarl, "Remember me, Leo?"

Loke tenses and when his eyes meet mine, he screams in fear. He frantically scrambled away from me, swiping a hand through his girls. They disappear into thin air, and a chubby guy with a taut white shirt and pluming orange hair appears instantly. "Would you like me to draw more, Loke?"

"Ah!" Loke screams. "Reedus, help me!" He jumped behind the mage, and when Reedus turned to look at me curiously, I smiled at him. He stepped away from Loke, leaving him exposed. Loke continues to cry out, and almost got away. I pulled out my whip, and it cracked it by his feet. He yelped, as it twirled around his ankle and he collided with the ground.

I started to pull Loke closer, cackling evilly. When he was almost in my clutches, a sweet voice echoed through the guild, making me stop cold in my tracks. "Hey Natsu, who's your friend?"

My eyes narrowed in on the beautiful bar made carrying a tray of wooden mugs filled with ale. Her silver hair cascaded in perfect ringlets down the side of her face, and her burgundy dress billowing softly around her ankles. Those hauntingly blue eyes stared right back into mine. They widened in horror, and the tray dropped to the ground, ringing loudly in the sudden silence of the guild.

My hands trembled as I stared back at her in shock, and I could barely form her name on my lips...

"Mira."

**Uh oh. A former AMC member working in a guild? Natsu and the others are one thing, but her own friend actually being a part of it? What is Lucy going to do now that her secret of joining a guild is exposed? **

**Everything is going to be moving pretty fast paced from here on out, so you better try to catch up! ;) **

**LOVE FAIRY TAIL!**

**R&R please and thank you :)**

**I want to hear your suggestions for what you want to see in the story. I take all of them seriously so please let me know! I want to hear your thoughts! Not the perverted ones like when Natsu tells Lucy she doesn't need clothes, but I read and listen to everything! Promise! **

**Until next time! :D**


	7. Luuuucyyy Fiiiiight Meee

**Thanks for reading! You guys are awesome! :)**

**Just to answer a very important question from one of the reviews: No I will not be adding in any spoilers that reveal anything from recent chapters or anime. I'm not that kind of cruel sadistic person. Just the kind that loves leaving you with cliff hangers ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at her with my mouth gaping like a fish. I searched for words, but nothing would come out. _No… it's impossible…_

At the AMC, every hunter started out as a novice and everyone was always assigned a mentor for the first few missions before they were finally initiated as a full-fledged Hunter. The mentors were always among the strongest of all the AMC Hunters. Each of them were chosen based on some personal strength: wisdom, agility, bravery, or ect. Mentors were only ever chosen out of the Hunters who were either being demoted or stepping down in the field. There were a variety of reasons such as some decided to stay with AMC, but they wanted to raise a family and didn't want to put their family at risk by staying a Hunter. Others had developed serious health complications over the years—I mean you're constantly getting hurt by magic and that puts a toll on someone's body after a while. Whatever their reason, the novice they trained became their partner for a short time period, and would allow them to take over their job whenever they felt it necessary.

My mentor had decided to step down at the top of her career, and lucky for me, I was stuck with "The Demon Mirajane." I try not to think about those first agonizing weeks of trying to keep up with her on the battlefield. The Spirit King knows I would rather die than _ever_ go through that hell again. But, if it weren't for her, I probably never would have become the tough bitch I am today.

After she retired from being a Bounty Hunter, she still decided to stay at AMC and was assigned my personal secretary to handle paperwork and help find information for questions and details I needed for a mission. Over these past few years, we became close friends. Not as close as Levy and I, but close enough that I could rely on her for anything. Yet, even after all these years, I never asked her and she never bothered to tell me just why she had decided to stop hunting.

And now…standing in the middle of this guild, our eyes connecting in that same horrific understanding that the person we were looking at was not supposed to be in _this _place…

"Mira…" I choked out.

The tension between snapped with just that one utterance, and she gasped in fear as she realized this was not some crazy nightmare she was standing in. The tray of drinks she had been carrying jerked as she jumped in surprise, and it toppled to the ground and crashed loudly against the wooden floor, ale sloshing everywhere.

The guild members silenced, their sharp focus pinpointed on us as we continued to stare in disbelief. I could feel their gazes boring holes into my skin, questions burning about this new arrival and possible threat. Everyone was tense and ready to take action should this moment turn south.

That is, everyone except Natsu.

Once Gray had stopped fighting for a moment to glare between the two of us and try to figure out the connection, he lost interest in their brawl. Natsu didn't even bother to at us as he strode towards the bar and said to Mira, "Eh. This is Luigi. She wants to join the guild."

My head snapped around to him, and without thinking, I grabbed a mug off the nearest table and chunked it at him as hard as I could. It slammed into the back of his head, and he screamed and fell flat to the ground as I yelled, "It's Lucy, you pyro freak!"

I'm assuming insulting and assaulting Natsu was a common thing around the guild because as soon as the comment left my mouth, the tension in the guild broke and everyone threw back their heads and laughed. Gray even smiled before he took his spot next to Juvia. Two old guys near me started taking bets on who would win between Natsu and me.

"My money is on the blonde," said the man with the strangest hair style that was designed to look like the pipe in his mouth.

"I'd just like to see her fight," said the guy beside him with a purple hair. He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes. Romeo was sitting beside him, bouncing happily on the bench seat. The man rubbed Romeo's hair, and the boy laughed and swatted at his hand. I could see the resemblance between the two right away and something inside warmed for just a moment to see the love between a father and his child.

That moment was ruined however, when I realized that Loke had somehow used this moment to try and escape from my grasp. He kicked the whip off his ankle, and grabbing his end, gave a tug and jerked it out of my hands. Loke laughed like a maniac escaping an asylum—which technically he was given the location—and was about free when a fist the size of one of the guild tables crashed into his back.

"Don't you know how rude it is to leave whenever we have a guest?" boomed a grumpy voice that shook the very boards beneath my feet. My heart dropped to my stomach, afraid of what I might find behind the hand.

However, it started to shrink, and as it retracted, I watched as a small old man shrunk his arm back to normal size. He was short, barely even to my shoulder, and it was almost laughable that I had been afraid of him a moment before—though I would never try fighting him in a real battle. Loke only moaned in agony, and I watched him carefully to make sure he didn't move.

His eyes found mine, and they smiled as he waved. "Yo!" he shouted and hopped onto a guild table. "Lucy is it? How did Natsu come to find you?"

"He was supposed to help her find Levy, Gramps," Gajeel suddenly appeared behind him. "Bunny girl and book worm go way back, and she was captured by the RHA last night during the raid."

The man scratched his chin as he contemplated a moment. "Hmm… this is troubling news." His sharp eyes gazed deeply back into mine as if he could look straight through to my mind. I blushed a little, nervous that his lingering stare might mean trouble. He only chuckled though, and said, "If you want to join Fairy Tail then you're more than welcome to."

My mouth dropped open in surprise for the hundredth time today, and happiness bubbled up inside me and my stomach filled with fluttering wings. The sudden emotion was staggering, and I didn't know until that moment just how much I wanted to be a part of this—a guild. Finally, some place where I didn't have to hide my magic or be alone to hunt down strangers. I had always dreamed of it as a little girl, fantasizing over which guild I would join. I'd even make up stories for Mama and—

Then as if someone had pricked a needle into my balloon of joy, the emotion washed out of me, leaving me cold and hopeless as the reality settled in that this wasn't right. I couldn't be a part of this. There was a reason a long time ago that I had quit, and joined the Anti-Magic Council. I had given up everything for my promise that had yet to be fulfilled, and I could no longer use magic.

"Lucy is it?" the old man asked suddenly, and I nodded once. He dropped his smile and his serious expression returned again. I knew I was going to regret his next words before he even said them. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but as an initiation, I have to ask for you to prove that you're a mage."

"What?" I blurted before I could stop myself. Somewhere, I heard Natsu cackling. That damned idiot must have just _happened _to forget to mention this little part to me. Oh that bastard was going to pay whenever I got a hold on him…

"Gramps, you shouldn't force people to just use magic if they don't want to. Some mages have gone into hiding for so long that they forget—" Gray argued, jumping up from the table, but when his gaze meant mine, he closed his mouth.

"I've got this," I murmured, a cocky smirk forming on my lips. Without hesitation, my fingers reached into the leather pouch on my side, sliding against the cold golden keys dangling inside until they wrapped around a single one. I snatched it from the metal hook, and flinging my arm before me, I yelled, "Leo the Lion! I summon thee!"

A bright flash of light erupted a few feet before me, and from the light formed the pathetic sight of one of my favorite celestial spirits: Loke. He groaned in pain still, evident that he was in no condition to fight. I was kind of surprised that he even came at all. Of course, this whole performance was just a show since I couldn't really use magic—the AMC would take notice and label me a rogue if I really did. However, I took a gamble with my friendship with my old spirit. He knew my situation, as did all my celestial spirits, but I purposely butchered the summoning spell just in case I actually did call him. He was smart enough to figure out that I needed him at my side that instant though, even though he had been on the ground wailing in pain a few minutes ago.

"A-at your service, Lucy," he muttered as he rocked uneasily from side to side.

"Thanks, Loke. You can return now," I told him. He grimaced and disappeared.

Natsu and Gray gawked as if I had just grown two heads, three feet, and a purple horn on my head. I crossed my arms and laughed smugly at them. The master of Fairy Tail only shrugged as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

A soft hand rested on my arm, and I looked up in shock to a smiling Mira. She winked at me, as if reading my thoughts and started to lead me to the back of the kitchens. "Master, I'll show her around," she explained to the little old man.

He nodded and waved as we walked behind the bar towards the two doors leading away from the main hall. Natsu only watched with mild curiosity, ignoring Lisanna—was every single mage I knew a part of Fairy Tail?—who sat beside him, conversing happily to him and the blue cat on the counter nibbling on a fish. Before we disappeared behind the bar, I heard the master announce loudly to everyone: "Tonight, we celebrate our newest member of Fairy Tail and party until dawn!"

The guild roared excitedly and threw their mugs into the air for an elated toast to the beginning of the celebration. They were still cheering as Mira led me through the kitchens and into a secluded back room stocked with food. She flicked on a light and exhaled deeply as she plumped down on a barrel or pickles.

"Sorry about freaking out earlier," she apologized swiftly. "I just didn't expect to see you here."

"See me here? Are you kidding me? Why are you even here?" I blurted out angrily, outraged that she has been keeping something like this a secret.

Mira only laughed, which infuriated me further, but before I could argue, she lifted her hands in surrender. "Sorry, Lucy. I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but it's just complicated trying to explain that you're an agent for a guild working undercover at AMC."

Agent? Undercover? Ugh! That explains why earlier Natsu was so obsessed with the notion that I was some damn secret spy!

"I guess I should explain," she started, and motioned me to take a seat beside her on another barrel. As I sat down, she continued, "I know this is all hard to believe, but the true reason I ever joined the AMC was basically the same as yours. I wanted to save mages, not hurt them."

"I know that. You're the one who taught me all the loopholes about handing over mages to city officials so that my name would be cleared once the mage escaped."

Mira smiled gently. "And I'm so glad you kept your promise to me to help them." Her face grew suddenly sullen, and she gripped my hands. "But, if you're here only to keep your promise to your mother, then you need to leave. Being in a guild will only get you killed, and this is not the life you should be living. It's dangerous. If the AMC finds out, they will not hesitate to destroy you."

I snatched my hands out of hers as if I had been burned. Once, on one of our last mentoring missions together, she had asked why I had decided to join, and I had told her my promise to my mother. She didn't judge me like I had thought she would, like my father did when he learned only part of the truth. She had accepted me as a friend as made me promise to help save as many innocent mages as I could. So far, I had kept it because it was the only promise I could.

"I'm stronger than that Mira, and besides, I have no intention of letting the AMC ever finding out about this place."

"All I'm saying is that it's only going to get more complicated from here," she argued. "The AMC is already keeping a close eye on you, and if they find out that you are here, then you'll never be able to fulfill your mother's wish. And joining a guild…making more friends…it's only going to make it harder when the time comes…and not just for you…"

I sighed heavily. "I know, but there's nothing else I can think of. I didn't want to join a guild, but Natsu brought me here anyways. I figured if I joined I could learn more information before I try to—" A heavy breath shook through my lips, and I trembled. "Besides, RHA has Levy, and I have to get her back, Mira. She's my best friend, and she's the only thing I have left holding me back into this world."

Mira's hand covered mine. "We'll find her, Lucy," she promised. I returned her small smile, and as she rubbed my hand, a thought popped into her head. "Oh yeah! I forgot!"

She hopped off the barrel and bolted through the pantry door eagerly. I stared after her questioningly, but before I could follow her, she rushed back in happily carrying a knife. My eyes widened, and thoughts of being massacred by a beautiful psycho raced through my head. Well, I guess they didn't call her the demon for nothing…

"It's not what you think," she assured me.

"I don't care what it is. You holding me in a room with a giant butcher's knife doesn't make me feel comfortable, Mira," I complained as she reached for my arm.

I trusted her enough for her to lift it carefully and exam it. "Aw! There it is!" She pointed at the spot on my arm where the microchip from AMC was installed. My eyebrows arched quizzically, so she explained, "Part of the reason I stepped down was to do some investigating for the guilds. These microchips were part of my first intel missions. After reading up on them, I found out how they actually work, and I was able to design a similar chip that would keep your identity, but would lose magical detection."

"Meaning…"

Mira reached into her pocket and pulled out a small chip barely the size of a fingernail. "I thought one day I might need one for you, so I went ahead and created it. I can replace this chip with the one in your arm, and once it's inserted again, you'll be able to use magic again without worrying if you'll become rogue."

And here I thought today couldn't possibly hold any more surprises. "Are you serious?" I asked excitedly, staring at the small microchip in her palm as if it had all the answers to life. Except, it kind of did! "I'll be able to summon spirits again?"

Mira laughed at my enthusiasm and nodded. "When should I start?" she asked. I parked myself on the nearest barrel, bouncing up and down like a school kid on crack. "Hold still," she warned as she held the knife over my arm. "This is going to hurt a lot at first, but I'll make it fast."

It hurt. A LOT. It hurt like a fucking son of a bitch, and I cursed and screamed the entire way through. Mira tried to explain it to me while I was wailing in agony, and from what little I heard, supposedly the microchip was synched to my nerves. So carving it out of my arm made all of my nerves in my entire body spaz and cry out. The only thing that kept me from killing her with the damn knife Mira was torturing me with was the fact that any moment now I would be able to use magic again.

I could finally use magic again!

Everything I had suppressed for these past years, I could finally release. My body and mind had grown on the battlefield, but my magic was always being held back as I fought. It was agonizing, like cutting off a separate limb. But, finally, as Mira implanted the new chip into my arm, and called Wendy in to heal the wound, I was able to use it again.

"Two more things," Mira said just before I could explode out the pantry to use my magic. "One: keep the old chip with you at all times. It has a locator in it that keeps track of you, and if the AMC notices you not moving, they will send special agents to investigate."

"And two?" I asked with excited impatience.

Mira smiled crookedly and beheld a stamp that she had been hiding behind her back. "Where would you like your guild mark?"

I laughed happily, and Wendy helped me pick the location and color of my new mark. They both assured me that the Fairy Tail mark was invisible to anyone who was not in the guild or affiliated with them. I should have cared about that small detail, but I didn't care at all as Mira pressed the stamp down on the back of my right hand.

"Okay!" she announced, and lifted it up, revealing the pink Fairy Tail mark. I stared at it in wonder and traced it with my fingertips. Instantly the symbol on Wendy's shoulder became visible, and I searched for Mira's but it wasn't visible. "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lucy!"

My arms flung around Mira's neck as they tears began to pour. "Thank you for everything."

She returned the hug briefly before pushing me back and asking, "So what are you going to do first now that you can use magic?"

I was going to be a badass that's what! Yet, before I could reply, Natsu busted through the kitchen doors, spouting fire through his mouth like an enraged lizard. "Luuucccyyyy! Fight meeee!"

"What?" I shouted back annoyed that he ruined my moment.

He flung an unconscious body in front of us, and I could barely recognize Loke all disheveled. I wonder when and why he had called himself back through his own gate, but I didn't bother pondering it a moment longer when Natsu yelled, "Now that I know you use magic, I challenge you to a duel."

Perfect.

The Pit version 2.0.

Or was this the original? Either way, this was about to have the same results as the Pit back in at the Iron Dragon. AKA: me kicking this pink freak's ass! Of course, the rules and the arena are completely different. Instead of mud, the whole place is just a literal Pit in the middle of the guild. Someone must have used magic to rearrange the guild hall from a flat surface, to a square hole, twenty feet deep and over fifty feet wide. The edges at the top were narrowed and shifted into rafters. The guild members sat along them, beating on the wooden seats and cheering. Whenever Natsu had called for a duel, someone must have hit the "make a fucking hole in the ground" button, because when I walked out the kitchen, I fell straight to the bottom of this forsaken thing.

Back before the guild wars, mages would have official duels all the time. However, there was no convenient place, so wherever they called for a duel, that's where they fought. No limitations, no warnings, just pure raw magic as strong and as dangerous as it could get. There's a rumor that that's how the guild wars started in the first place. Two mages challenged each other and destroyed a whole town.

Now, whenever there was a duel, it's kept completely secure. There's no for sure way of knowing just how the current anti-magic laws have altered the high frequency of duels, but judging the way the guild had managed to erase an entire section of floor, skirted to the edges where it was safe just as I stepped through the damn kitchen and let me smack into the bottom without so much as batting an eye…I'd assume every mage was still dueling just as often as before. These bastards probably plotted the whole thing because as I pulled myself back up to my feet, they roared with laughter. Damn mages. Maybe I should just be an evil anti-magic crazed Hunter and destroy them all and devour their souls like every other AMC agent…

Okay they don't devour their souls. They throw them in jail, but it's totally the same thing.

I started to flick every single one of them off, when the reason the number one culprit jumped into the pit, sniggering like the little lame lizard he is. "What idiot just falls face first into a damn pit without looking?"

I cocked my head to the side and grinned slyly. "I'm going to have fun beating the hell out of you, pinky."

"My hair is not pink!" Natsu shouted angrily, throwing fire balls into the air in a tantrum.

"Natsu, shut the fuck up! Your hair is pink!" Gray yelled from one of the seats near the top.

Natsu growled and started cursing at him, leaving his side completely exposed. I didn't hesitate a second and utilized the opportunity to land a perfectly aimed kick. He yelled in confusion in pain as he was sent flying into one of the four walls surrounding us.

I didn't even let him recover before I was on top of him, pinning his arms behind his back. Though I could dislocate his arm with a slight twist, and I knew for a fact he must have been in agonizing pain, he simply laughed and asked, "Have you forgotten the most important part of this duel?"

"Which is what?" I shot back.

I could feel his body heat rise instantly, and I jumped off of him just before he could incinerate me. His entire body was lit like a torch, and he grinned like a maniac. "I'm all fired up!"

Magic… It was so beautiful. I've seen Natsu use fire before, but to be this close… to see it again… It made every gushing, heated feeling I had felt last night at the Iron Dragon come racing back to me. Mavis, he was so attractive… Wait. Who was Mavis?

"Fire Dragon Brilliant Light!" he shouted suddenly, hurling a giant fire ball right at me.

Shit! I barely had time to dodge, and I could feel the fire burning through my back. That was close. Too close. Dammit! Why did I agree to this? I could get killed! Wait. Fire! He used fire magic! Of course! I had just the thing for this…

My fingers reached felt around for the familiar golden key. As I lifted it into the air and sliced it across my body, the old, longed for burn of magic surged through me, mounting to an unexplainable feeling that matched my boiling emotions of joy and nervousness. I stabbed the key forward and shouted as loud as I could, "Open gate of the maid: Virgo!"

A loud ringing echoed through the guild hall, and a shimmering light appeared before me just before it formed into a small maid with bright pink hair and eyes. Chains were wrapped around her tiny wrists and jingled as she bowed in front of me. "Time for punishment, princess?"

"Really?" I asked flatly, sweat dropping. "You're still on that after all these years?"

"Yes, princess," she answered, smiling. "But it is very good to see you again. We've all missed you dearly."

"I missed you too, Virgo, but I need you to do me a favor…" I whispered my plan in her ear quickly, and she nodded.

"Understood," she replied and ran straight at Natsu.

He had been watching silently, calculating the new opponent. It was strange to see him think. I didn't know the oaf had a brain. As Virgo approached though, his hands lit up brightly, and he grinned. He swung a few punches at her, but Virgo was quick and was able to dodge all the fiery blows. He laughed as the exchanged jabs, and he was so focused on her, he didn't see the giant bull until he picked up the fire mage and tossed him across the Pit.

Natsu shouted in surprise, and used his fire magic to flip him midair and avoid slamming against another wall. He landed like a feline on his feet, and his eyes shot up to me accusingly. "What? There's another one?"

I laughed as Taurus strode up beside me, swinging his massive axe around his hands. He was among the first celestial spirits I owned and was one of the more powerful. I could always rely on him, but if I had been waiting for some heartfelt speech about being missed, I would have been utterly wrong. "Miss Lucy sure has some nice boooooobs," he mooed.

I face palmed and shook my head. "Honestly, you guys never change!"

"Hey you don't just say that to a lady, you heifer!" Natsu argued and walked up to Taurus, completely unintimidated by a giant cow. He pointed at me and yelled, "It's rude to say that to a high classed woman."

Wow. Natsu is actually defending—

"But, Lucy isn't either of those things, so if you say it, you have to do this!" Without moving his eyes from Taurus, his hand shot out and grabbed a hold of my breast. Though his hand was large, it was still barely able to squeeze around the entire mound. The guild was chatty until that moment, and silence fell over us like a cold blanket.

A blush burned my face, though I didn't know whether it was from embarrassment or fury. Natsu happened to look over at that moment, but he didn't bother taking his hand away until my fist crashed into his nose. He shouted in surprise, and I was about to jump him like a crazed animal when Taurus beat me to it.

"Don't mistreat Miss Lucy like that!" he yelled, swinging his heavy axe towards Natsu's head. The dragon slayer slapped his hands around the blade to prevent it from crushing him. His face hardened with intense focus, and Taurus pushed furiously down with all his might. Natsu's legs buckled beneath him, and just as I thought my spirit was about to win, Natsu chuckled evilly.

That's when I noticed his palms turning red, and the blade of the axe began to bend beneath the heat. Taurus pulled away from before he could inflict more damage, and Natsu released the axe as he leaped into the air and shouted, "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"

His flaming fist collided with Taurus, and he mooed in distress as he disappeared back to the spirit realm. Natsu laughed and eyed me down. Before he could get any more ideas, I grabbed another key and summoned, "Open gate of the archer: Sagittarius!"

"Good to see you again Miss Lucy! Moshi, moshi." Sagittarius saluted, his black eyes sparkling as bright as I remember, just as everything else was. His black hair peeked through the top of the horse costume he insisted on wearing, and his bow and quiver were ready for action.

"Can you keep him entertained for a few more moments?" I pointed towards Natsu. "It shouldn't be too long now."

"Of course, moshi, moshi," he complied, nocking a couple arrows onto his bow.

Natsu fumed. "Now a horse? How many of these do you have?" Obviously aggravated, he charged me, but Sagittarius jumped into the way.

"Your fight is with me, not Miss Lucy," he informed him, raining down arrows on the fire dragon.

Natsu ignited his entire body with fire and raised the level of his flames high enough that any arrows would be completely burned before they reached his body. Realizing this small miscalculation, Sagittarius stepped back beside me. "Unfortunately, it does not look like I am of much use to you."

"It's okay I understand."

"I'm sorry," he said shortly and disappeared back into his gate.

Noticing the horse was gone, Natsu dropped his flames back down and grinned cockily. "Looks like you're out of magic," he accused.

I shrugged and pulled the whip off my hip. "Actually, I have enough to call one more spirit," I informed him. "But if you'd like, I can just kick your ass right now!"

"Yeah! I'm all fired up!" Natsu roared excitedly and lunged at me.

Having my magic back reminded me of one important detail about this particular whip that Virgo had given me a few years ago. As Natsu charged at me, I quickly pressed the button on the side of the handle. Though I had disabled it after I joined the AMC, I knew it would still work if I put enough magic energy into it. The whip crackled and whined and just as Natsu came within reach, I flicked it hard at him. Natsu reached out to try and grab the end, but the whip ignited with powerful electricity mid strike. He realized this too late, and as it wrapped around his wrist, the electric current raced through his body jolting him with intense shock that would have killed any normal person.

Of course Natsu wasn't normal in the slightest, and even though he raged in pain and fell to his knees, he didn't die. He wasn't even unconscious, just dazed. Good. If he was knocked out, it would ruin my entire plan. I ran to the farthest wall from him, because I could already feel the heat rising with his rage.

Just as he was snapping out of his daze, Virgo popped out of the ground. "Distraction work, princess?"

"Perfectly, Virgo," I told her, pointing at the inferno building around the dragon slayer. "Is _she _ready?"

Virgo lifted up a small pipe from the hole she came from. She handed me the green hose and bowed formally. "Pull the lever when you're ready." She disappeared back into her gate.

I smiled after her before I gripped the large hose and placed my fingers around the top of the lever resting on top. Natsu roared like a true dragon, and I might have been impressed if I wasn't about to destroy him. His fire exploded out of him in a giant spiraling fit, making several members in the rafters leap away from him in fear of getting burned.

His onyx eyes focused hard on mine, and I simply laughed as I pulled back the hose and let the water jet out. Natsu was slightly taken aback that I had relied on such measures, but his heat intensified as he fought back the water.

"Did you think you could win with such a lame tactic?" he called out.

"Nope," I admitted and reached for my final key in this battle. "I just needed water." I stuck the key into the gushing stream and commanded, "Open gate of the water bearer: Aquarius!"

The final ringing of bells filled the Pit, and my strongest and most frightening opponent appeared before me. Her blue hair rivered down her back, and she cocked her blue vase on her scaly hip as she glared daggers back at me. "I thought you were dead."

"Miss me?" I asked, laughing nervously.

She moaned as if that was an agonizing question. "I would have preferred you being dead."

Yep. None of my celestial spirits have changed. At all. Wow, they needed to get out more. And maybe a couple therapy sessions wouldn't hurt.

"Whatever, I just need you to help me out for about five seconds," I told her, jerking my thumb towards the fire mage.

She rolled her eyes, and summoning her water magic, created a tsunami that doused all of Natsu's flames, flooded the Pit, and unfortunately, almost drowned me. Natsu and I both screamed as a whirlpool started swirling us around, and without so much as a goodbye, Aquarius disappeared.

"Lucy! Your spirits are crazy!" Natsu complained loudly, splashing helplessly.

"I didn't know she would react this way! DO something!"

Natsu yelled something back unintelligibly and just as I thought he wouldn't help, a fire started burning brightly from across the Pit. The water started to evaporate and as any intelligent person knows, as water heats up, it turns to steam. Soon, most of the water had disappeared except a couple puddles along the ground. I coughed up whatever was left in my lungs, cursing my damned spirit for being just as much a bitch as she always was.

This time though, it came in handy.

The steam was so thick in the Pit I couldn't see anything. Natsu was raging about the same thing somewhere, I got to my feet and stalked towards the voice. He called for Wendy to clear it up, or for anyone to get rid of it, and I knew I had only a few seconds left.

When I was close enough to where I thought Natsu was, I slipped on the ground and tumbled loudly and inelegantly. "What the—" he mumbled.

"Ouch. Natsu, are you there? Can you help me up? I think I twisted my ankle," I called after him.

"Uh…yeah, but where are you?" he asked, and a shadow moved to my left.

"I'm right here," I shouted, waving my hands through the thick fog. He shifted through it slowly, and when he was close enough he bent down to examine my body, checking for injuries. His fingers reached out for my leg, but I didn't let him touch me before I lunged at him. He gasped and started to shout just as my lips crashed hungrily over his, my fingers twisting in his hair and pulling him hard against me. He was so surprised by my attack, he didn't kiss me back for a full couple seconds until I bit his lip and he moaned pleasurably against my mouth. His tongue danced across my lips, and his hands wrapped themselves around my neck. My fingers traced across his abs, and he moaned as I pushed him down against the floor, suddenly finding myself on top of him for the fifth time in twenty four hours.

Natsu was a beast, and I'd have given anything to be alone with him in that moment. Especially as his mouth finally opened wider and our tongues danced and fought their own battles. My body was tensing and pleading for me to stay with him, but my mind was already set.

As my right hand toyed with the band along his waist, my left slipped behind my back where I had hidden a set of cuffs. I kissed him hard for one more moment before I broke apart, grabbed his limp wrists on my arms and slapped them on him…again. He was so distraught with the sudden onslaught of kisses, that he was still dazed as the fog cleared instantly thanks to Wendy eating the air—that sounds so weird.

When it was completely gone, everyone looked down and saw exactly as I had planned: Natsu in handcuffs and immobile, and Lucy for the win!

**Well that was exciting! Gotta love Lucy's tactics ;) **

**Thanks for the 80 followers and 38 favorites :) You guys rocks!**

**_NOW REVIEW!_******


End file.
